TRANSPORT

Aviation: Security

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons are for UK aviation security policy differing from that aviation security policy recommended by the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The UK is required to implement the measures mandated in European aviation security legislation, which also acknowledges member states' freedom to set more stringent requirements where they judge this to be warranted. The UK aviation security regime reflects the Government's assessment of the measures appropriate in this country.

Departments: Recruitment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have been appointed to her Department outside civil service grades in the last 30 days.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In the period 27 June to 26 July, the Department for Transport appointed one non-executive director, who does not have a civil service grade, in the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
	In addition, the Department publishes information annually on appointments for which it is responsible in its annual report. The 2007 annual report was published in May 2007.

Departments: Reviews

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Gateway reviews were undertaken by her Department in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport was formed in the summer of 2002. Information on DFT projects is only held from that point in time.
	The Department for Transport can confirm that the following number of Gateway Reviews have been carried out since summer 2002:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2002 110 
			 2003 31 
			 2004 65 
			 2005 53 
			 2006 68 
			 2007 251 
			 (1) Summer to end of the year(  2) To 6 September 2007.

Highways Agency: Finance

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the Highways Agency's regional directorates over-spent on their budgets in each of the last five years.

Tom Harris: holding answer 10 September 2007
	The agency's two major spending directorates, Traffic Operations and Major Projects, include several regional-based operating units. The numbers of units have changed as the agency has developed. The following table summarises the position:
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Regional operating units 7 8 9 
			 Number overspending against original budget 3 5 6 
			 Number overspending against agreed forecast outturn 0 0 0 
		
	
	Similar performance data are not available for 2002-03 and 2003-04.
	Budgets are set prior to the beginning of each financial year and are not adjusted in year. The agency actively manages the budget by reallocating resources where necessary to deal with new pressures and changing priorities to ensure that the overall budget is fully utilised. Hence there are managed over and under-spends against budget at lower levels. In each of the three years in the previous table the agency has utilised over 99 per cent. of its overall budget, with no overall overspends:
	
		
			   Resource budget  Capital budget 
			   Budget  Outturn  Variance  Budget  Outturn  Variance 
			 2002-03 5,021 4,938 83 670 736 (-66) 
			 2003-04 4,003 3,873 130 651 438 213 
			 2004-05 4,174 4,170 4 623 610 13 
			 2005-06 4,709 4,664 45 755 753 2 
			 2006-07 5,134 5,118 16 1,124 1,117 7

Highways Agency: Finance

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on each of the 21 projects listed currently as on hold on the Highways Agency website.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 10 September 2007
	The 21 projects listed as "on hold" on the Highways Agency website comprise eight major schemes which were being prepared to enter the Government's national roads programme and 13 route management strategies.
	The major schemes and their respective expenditure are as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			  Project  Spend to date 
			 A1 Adderstone to Belford dualling 0.696 
			 A1 Morpeth to Felton dualling 4.126 
			   
			 A66 Penrith to Temple Sowerby  
			 A66 Appleby to Brough  
			 A66 Temple Sowerby to Appleby 0.732 
			 A66 dualling Bowes Bypass  
			 A66 dualling Cross Lanes to Greta Bridge  
			 A66 dualling Stephen Bank to Carkin Moor 0.583 
			   
			 Grand total for A66 schemes 1.315 
		
	
	Following the regional funding allocations (RFA) announcement in July 2006, the above schemes were not prioritised for funding by the relevant regions.
	The remaining 13 listed as on hold are studies known as route management strategies (RMSs). The strategies were intended to develop route based plans for future investment in the maintenance, operation and improvement of the network. With the growing emphasis on regional planning, transport decisions are linked to regional objectives and priorities. In response to this the Highways Agency is developing its forward planning on a regional basis through the recent publication of the regional network reports (RNRs) available on the Highway Agency website. A total of £301,712 has been spent on RMSs.

Roads: Accidents

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many recorded accidents there were on the A264 between Lington Green and Rusthall in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of reported personal injury road accidents on the A264 between Langton Green (at the junction with The Green) and Rusthall (at the junction with Rusthall Road) are given in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of accidents 
			 1997 16 
			 1998 11 
			 1999 8 
			 2000 10 
			 2001 11 
			 2002 5 
			 2003 12 
			 2004 8 
			 2005 8 
			 2006 9

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what representations he has received from teaching unions on his Department's academies programme; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Secretary of State has received a number of representations from the teaching unions on a range of subjects including the academies programme.

Children: Examinations

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what research he has commissioned into the impact of assessments and testing on children's future engagement with education.

Jim Knight: The Department for Education and Skills part-funded a review by the EPPI-Centre on the impact of summative assessment and testing on students' motivation for learning. The review's report was published in 2002 and can be accessed at www.eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/

City Academies

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to his answer of 2 August 2007 to question 152922, on City Academies, when officials from his Department first discussed with Essex local education authority the possibility of establishing city academies in  (a) Essex and  (b) Colchester.

Jim Knight: Officials first met with officers from Essex county council on 18 March 2005 to discuss the vision of establishing an academy within Essex. The first meeting to discuss an academy in Colchester was on 5 January 2007.

Departments: Catering

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of  (a) beef,  (b) sheep meat,  (c) pork and  (d) dairy products used in his Department in the most recent period for which figures are available were imported products.

Jim Knight: For the period 1 January to 30 June 2007 the percentage of imported beef, sheep meat, pork and dairy products used within DCSF Headquarters buildings was 84 per cent. of beef, 93 per cent. of lamb, 76 per cent. of pork and 7 per cent. of dairy products.

Departments: Manpower

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of staff formerly employed by the Department for Education and Skills are now employed by his Department.

Jim Knight: 84 per cent. of staff in the former Department for Education and Skills are now employed by my Department.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students in Tamworth claimed education allowance in each year since it was introduced, broken down by ward of residence.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and hold the information about take-up and payments under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, has written to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 20 July 2007:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question 148792 that asked; "How many students in Tamworth claimed education allowance in each year since it was introduced, broken down by ward of residence."
	Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received education maintenance allowance (EMA) is available at local authority level, but not at ward level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	EMA take-up for Staffordshire local authority area during each academic year since inception is as follows:
	2004/05—3,632
	2005/06—6,393
	2006/07—7,803 (to end of June)
	EMA Take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05,2005/06 and to date in 2006/07 is now also available on the LSC website, at the following address:
	http://www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/Data/statistics/learner/EMA_take_up.htm
	I hope you find this information useful.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what evaluation he has made of the policies of schools on entering students to GCSE examinations other than English and Mathematics.

Jim Knight: Schools take decisions on GCSE entries based on the individual circumstances of pupils, in discussion with them and parents as appropriate. Schools need to ensure that each pupil's ability is properly assessed and recognised in the areas of the Key Stage 4 curriculum that they have chosen, or are obliged, to study. This summer's results show that the number of GGSE entries overall continues to increase.

Pre-school Education

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what research he has commissioned into the effectiveness of  (a) state pre-school education and  (b) privately funded pre-school provision in raising pupil attainment in the short and long term.

Jim Knight: To assess the benefits of funded early education, delivered in a wide range of maintained and private, voluntary and independent settings, my Department commissioned the Effective Pre-school and Primary Education 3-11 (EPPE 3-11) study. This study, which began in 1997, followed 3,000 children from the age of three to the end of Key Stage 2 (at age 11) and will continue to do so until the end of Key Stage 3 at age 14. So far, the study has demonstrated that children who attend pre-school are better prepared for school, have better cognitive and social development at age six and seven (Key Stage 1), with benefits strongest for those who attended high quality pre-school for a longer duration. It has also shown high quality pre-school experience continues to have a positive impact on children's all round development at age 10.
	The EPPE study has also shown it is the quality, rather than ownership of pre-school provision that is most important for improving children's attainment and that while good quality provision is found across all sectors the maintained sector provides the highest quality provision overall. We want to see quality improve across all types of pre-school provision, and we have reflected this aim in draft statutory guidance to local authorities on the duty in the Childcare Act 2006 to improve outcomes for all children and reduce inequalities between them. The guidance requires local authorities actively to engage with the Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) sector to improve quality. We have also provided dedicated resource (through the Transformation Fund between 2006-08 and the Graduate Leader Fund from 2008-09) to support the development of graduate leadership in the PVI sector, focusing on full day care settings.
	Finally, my Department has also commissioned a number of evaluation studies that will continue to explore the relationship between different types of pre-school provision and child development outcomes including the National Evaluation of Sure Start, a study of child care quality experienced by children in the Millennium Cohort Study, and an evaluation of free child care provision for disadvantaged two-year-olds. Findings from these studies will be published by the Department later in 2008.

Primary Education: Languages

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of state primary schools in England offer teaching in a modern foreign language other than French.

Jim Knight: There are no national data available on the total number of primary schools offering modern foreign languages. However, in the autumn term of 2006, the National Foundation for Educational Research carried out research on the Department's behalf, based on a nationally representative sample of 8,000 primary schools in England. The response rate was 48 per cent. The results showed that 81 per cent. of schools were providing primary languages within class time. As it was recognised that schools already delivering primary languages might be more likely to respond, data were collected from all schools within a representative sub-sample of 500 schools from the original 8,000 primary schools. The results showed that 70 per cent. of schools in this sub-sample were providing primary languages within class time.
	Figures for which languages were provided are available only for the larger sample. Of the 3,336 schools in the survey that were teaching primary languages in class time, 91 per cent. of these schools offered French. Other languages were offered by the following proportions of schools in this sample. Percentages do not add up to 100 per cent. as some schools offer two or more languages:
	
		
			  Languages offered at KS2 in primary schools in England 
			   Percentage 
			 Spanish 25 
			 German 12 
			 Italian 4 
			 Chinese 1 
			 Japanese 1 
			 Urdu 1 
			 Other languages 4 
			 No response 1

Schools: Uniforms

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to address school uniform shop monopolies, including shops run by  (a) schools and  (b) external enterprises.

Jim Knight: The Office of Fair Trading have indicated that schools or retailers that have expensive exclusive contracts with suppliers may, in principle, be subject to enforcement action under Chapter 1 of the Competition Act 1998, on the grounds that these exclusive agreements restrict competition between retailers to supply uniform.
	The Schools Admissions Code will also tackle covert selection methods by ensuring that other school policies (such as the uniform policy) do not discourage parents from applying to the school of their choice.
	The Department plans to publish updated guidance on school uniforms and related policies next month. This guidance will provide schools with advice on how to develop fair and reasonable school uniform policies.

Teachers: Languages

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of teachers of modern foreign languages in state secondary schools have a degree level qualification in the languages they teach.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the number of full-time teachers employed in maintained secondary schools by the highest post A level qualification held in the subjects they teach.
	
		
			  Teachers in Service: Full-time teachers in maintained secondary schools—Highest post A level qualifications( 1)  held in the subjects they teach( 2)  to year groups 7-13, England 
			   Percentages  
			   Degree( 3)  BEd  PGCE  Cert Ed  Other qual.  No qual.  Total teachers (Thousand) 
			 Mathematics 42 ± 3 15 ± 2 9 ± 2 7 ± 1 2 ± 1 24 ± 2 28.2 
			 English 51 ± 3 15 ± 2 7 ± 1 6 ± 1 1 ± 1 20 ± 2 29.4 
			 
			 Combined/General science 62 ± 3 12 ± 2 10 ± 2 4 ± 1 1 ± 1 11 ± 2 28.3 
			 Biology(4) 71 ± 5 7 ± 3 11 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± 1 7 ± 3 5.6 
			 Chemistry(4) 72 ± 5 6 ± 3 12 ± 4 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 7 ± 3 5.2 
			 Physics(4) 63 ± 6 11 ± 4 15 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± - 8 ± 3 4.7 
			 Other sciences(4) 10 ± 6 4 ± 4 5 ± 4 - ± - - ± - 80 ± 8 1.6 
			 
			 French 54 ± 3 7 ± 2 10 ± 2 3 ± 1 2 ± 1 23 ± 3 16.0 
			 German 47 ± 5 6 ± 3 13 ± 4 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 30 ± 5 6.9 
			 Spanish 37 ± 7 8 ± 4 19 ± 6 - ± - 3 ± 2 33 ± 7 3.6 
			 Other modern languages 18 ± 8 - ± - 9 ± 7 - ± - 3 ± 4 71 ±10 1.4 
			 
			 Design and technology(5) 26 ± 3 20 ± 3 7 ± 2 21 ± 3 2 ± 1 24 ± 3 20.9 
			 ICT(5, 6) 13 ± 2 6 ± 1 8 ± 2 2 ± 1 3 ± 1 69 ± 3 18.9 
			 Other/Combined technology(5) 30± 1 0 13 ± 8 16 ± 7 18 ± 9 2 ± 3 20 ± 9 1.6 
			 
			 Business studies 30 ± 5 11 ± 4 9 ± 3 4 ± 2 3 ± 2 43 ± 5 6.5 
			 Classics 33 ± 7 - ± - 2 ± 4 2 ± - - ± - 63 ± 7 1.0 
			 History 57 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 6 ± 2 - ± - 23 ± 3 13.7 
			 Religious education 22 ± 3 8 ± 2 8 ± 2 4 ± 1 2 ± 1 57 ± 4 14.2 
			 Geography 53 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 5 ± 2 1 ± 1 25 ± 3 13.7 
			 Other social studies 35 ± 5 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 2 ± 1 - ± 1 54 ± 6 4.9 
			 Combined arts/humanities/ social studies 5 ± 3 4 ± 2 7 ± 3 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 83 ± 5 5.3 
			 
			 Music 59 ± 5 15 ± 4 5 ± 2 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 13 ± 4 6.3 
			 Drama 25 ± 4 10 ± 3 12 ± 3 6 ± 2 2 ± 1 45 ± 5 8.1 
			 Art and design 54 ± 4 10 ± 3 7 ± 2 9 ± 3 1 ± 1 20 ± 4 9.3 
			 Physical education 25 ± 3 31 ± 3 6 ± 2 13 ± 2 2 ± 1 22 ± 2 21.4 
			 Careers education 2 ± 2 1 ± 2 3 ± 3 4 ± 4 3 ± 4 87 ± 7 1.5 
			 PSHE(6) 1 ± - 1 ± - 2 ± 1 1 ± - - ± - 95 ± 1 61.4 
			 General studies 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 95 ± 2 7.1 
			 Citizenship 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 94 ± 2 9.0 
			 Other — — — — — — 32.8 
			 
			 Total(2, 7) 33 ± - 10 ±- 7 ± - 5 ± - 1 ± - 44 ± - 388.4 
			 '-' = zero or less than 0.5. (1) Where a teacher has more than one post A level qualification in the same subject, the qualification level is determined by the highest level reading from left (Degree) to right (Other Qual.). For example, teachers shown under PGCE have a PGCE but not a degree or BEd in the subject, while those with a PGCE and a degree are shown only under Degree. (2) Teachers are counted once against each subject which they are teaching. (3) Includes higher degrees but excludes BEds. (4) Teachers qualified in combined/general science are treated as qualified to teach biology, chemistry, or physics. Teachers qualified in biology, chemistry or physics are treated as qualified to teach combined/general science. (5) Teachers qualified in other/combined technology are treated as qualified to teach design and technology or information and communication technology. Teachers qualified in design and technology or information and communication technology are treated as qualified to teach other/combined technology. (6) Information and Communication Technology is abbreviated as ICT and Personal Social and Health Education is abbreviated as PSHE. (7) 'Other' not included in total percentages.  Source: Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey 2002.

Teachers: Pay

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what representations he has received on teachers' pay since his appointment; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Since his appointment my right hon. Friend has received some correspondence relating to teachers' pay and had meetings with unions and others, in which a variety of issues have been discussed.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Contracts: Finance

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the savings accrued as a consequence of the Pan-Government Office solutions tender earlier this year; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: I have been asked to reply.
	The savings estimated by the Office of Government Commerce for the Pan-Government solutions tender is £100 million spread over the four year period of the contract. The contract commences on 1 October 2007.

Departments: Carbon Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what changes in his Department's practice have resulted from the signing of the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Programme.

Phil Hope: Signing up to the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Programme has enabled the Cabinet Office to identify a more strategic, structured and long term approach to energy management and awareness raising practices. For example, the Cabinet Office has begun a programme of works to install passive infrared lighting controls (PIRs).

Departments: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion of people employed by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies are disabled.

Gillian Merron: The latest available data on the disability status of civil servants in Departments and agencies are as at 30 September 2006 and are published in "Civil Service Statistics 2006" at table P. This document is produced by the Office for National Statistics and can be accessed from the following website addresses.
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=2899&Pos=&ColRank=1&Rank=422
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/2006CivilServiceStatistics.pdf

Departments: Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many press officers are employed by his Department.

Gillian Merron: The Cabinet Office currently employs six press officers.

Departments: Procurement

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the savings accrued as a consequence of the use of reverse auctions as a procurement mechanism by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: Reverse auctions have not been used so far as a procurement mechanism in my Department.
	Due to the nature of the Cabinet Office's procurement, the scope for exploiting the benefits of reverse auctions is limited. Where suitable opportunities arise, and the benefits would outweigh the costs, a reverse auction would be employed as the procurement mechanism.
	The Cabinet Office makes extensive use of collaborative frameworks set up by other Departments where reverse auctions have been used. This will enable the Department to derive the benefits of savings in future.

Departments: Publications

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Cabinet Office departmental report 2007 Making Government Work Better cost to design, produce and publish.

Edward Miliband: The cost of designing, producing and publishing the Cabinet Office departmental report 2007 in print and on-line was £50,299.

Government: Procurement

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what criteria are used to determine whether to use  (a) preferred suppliers or  (b) reverse auctions in Government procurement projects; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government do not have preferred suppliers. The Government's policy is that public procurement decisions are to be based on value for money. Public procurers must also adhere to EU procurement rules, based on principles of non-discrimination, transparency and competitive procurement. Within this legal and policy framework, it is possible to set up framework agreements, with particular suppliers, following an appropriate competitive exercise in line with EU rules.
	E-auctions (or reverse auctions) are just one of a number of procedures and techniques available to public procurers under the public procurement rules. It is ultimately for contracting authorities to decide which procurement approach, including the use of e-auctions, is appropriate on a case-by-case basis, taking into account their obligations to deliver the best value for money for the taxpayer.
	The Government are determined to improve public procurement as set out in 'Transforming Government Procurement', published in January this year. It defines the vision for an improved Government procurement service, has led to the establishment of departmental procurement capability reviews and has led to the introduction of a new major projects review group in the Treasury.

Government: Procurement

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he plans to increase the use of reverse auctions as a procurement mechanism for Government  (a) projects and  (b) supplies; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	Government Departments are responsible for choosing the procurement procedures and techniques they consider most appropriate, including electronic (reverse) auctions, taking into account their obligations to achieve value for money for the taxpayer.
	Many procurements are subject to the requirements of the EU procurement rules. These include specific requirements for the setting up and running of e-auctions. The Government have put in place a framework agreement to enable public authorities to choose providers to run e-auctions for them, consistent with those rules.
	The Government are determined to improve public procurement as set out in 'Transforming Government Procurement', published in January this year. It defines the vision for an improved Government procurement service, has led to the establishment of departmental procurement capability reviews and led to the introduction of a new major projects review group in the Treasury.

Ministers: Official Residences

Richard Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many nights Ministers have stayed at  (a) Chevening,  (b) One Carlton Gardens,  (c) Hillsborough Castle and  (d) Lord Chancellor's Apartments since 27 June.

Gillian Merron: Official residences are assigned to Ministers by the Prime Minister either on grounds of security or in order to allow them to perform better their official duties. The number of nights Ministers stay in official residences is a matter for the individual Minister, the information is not collected centrally.

Office of the Third Sector

Andrew Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will undertake an assessment of the attributes of successful social enterprise models; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Government's Social Enterprise Action Plan, published in November 2006, recognised the need for further research on social enterprises. The Office of the Third Sector is currently engaging with academic organisations, the Social Enterprise Coalition, and other third sector partners to design an appropriate programme of original and useful research which is reflective of the needs of the sector as well as Government.

Offices: Deputy Prime Minister

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what use will be made of the former Deputy Prime Minister's offices.

Gillian Merron: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 12 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1641W.

Redundancy: Deputy Prime Minister

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether any staff from the Deputy Prime Minister's Office will be made redundant.

Gillian Merron: No staff from the former Deputy Prime Minister's Office have been made redundant.

WALES

Departments: Aviation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by his Department on  (a) first class and  (b) business class flights in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: In the past 12 months my Department has spent £4,440 on first class flights and £2,946.50 on business class flights.

Departments: Correspondence

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many letters he and his predecessors sent in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: Before 2006 the Wales Office systems recorded total correspondence sent, but without details of sender. Information for that period could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	In 2006 I sent 383 letters.
	The Wales Office publishes correspondence statistics in its annual report and for the Cabinet Office for the annual report to Parliament.

Departments: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of people employed by his Department are disabled.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office has a few staff with disabilities. For reasons of privacy no details are given, in line with Cabinet Office guidance.
	The latest available data on the disability status of civil servants in Departments and agencies are as at 30 September 2006 and are published in "Civil Service Statistics 2006" at table P. This document is produced by the Office for National Statistics and can be accessed from the following website addresses.
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=2899&Pos=&ColRank=1&Rank=422
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/2006CivilServiceStatistics.pdf
	Declaration of a disability is voluntary.

Departments: Flowers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by his Department on flowers in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: In the last 12 months my Department spent £40 on flowers.

Departments: Internet

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to review the appearance and content of the Wales Office website.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office website is now regularly reviewed and was updated in July with the latest information on legislation, including the Government of Wales Act.
	A project is under way to review the current site design and functionality and management processes, bearing in mind the stakeholders the Wales Office needs to reach. A new site will be established, contracts willing, before the end of 2007.

Departments: Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people have been appointed to his Department outside civil service grades in the last 30 days.

Peter Hain: None.

Departments: Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many press officers are employed by his Department.

Peter Hain: Three.

Departments: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the name is of each special adviser in his Department.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office special advisers are Dr. Andrew Bold and Mr. Joe Carberry.

Departments: Press

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by his Department on newspapers and magazines in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office does not record expenditure on newspapers and magazines separately from that on other publications, so the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Railways

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by his Department on first class train tickets in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office expenditure on first class rail tickets for the last 12 months was £72,142.82.

Departments: Redundancy Pay

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by his Department on redundancy payments in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: None.

Departments: Taxis

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by his Department on taxis in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: In the last 12 months my Department has spent £2,548.87 on taxis.

Departments: Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by his Department on staff away days in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: In the last 12 months my Department has spent £15,109.04 on staff away days.

Departments: Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by his Department on  (a) staff training and  (b) communication training in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: Records for training budgets are only kept in financial year.
	For 2006-07 my Department spent:
	 (a) on staff training £13,032.66
	 (b) on communication training £975.
	For 2007-08 the current spend to June is:
	 (a) on staff training £3,610
	 (b) communication spending nil.

Departments: Tribunals

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by his Department on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: Nil.

National Assembly for Wales: Powers

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether a referendum to give primary law-making powers to the National Assembly for Wales would be subject to the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.

Peter Hain: Yes. Section 103 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 provides for holding a referendum, subject to the provisions in Schedule 6 to that Act. Schedule 6 describes the procedure for holding such a referendum and sets out the provisions of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 which apply to different aspects of the referendum, including the referendum question itself and the process.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government on the role of quangos in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: I have regular discussions with Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government on a range of issues.
	The merger of quangos into the Welsh Assembly Government in 2006 has streamlined structures and processes, simplified decision making and allowed public services to become more flexible and responsive to the needs of businesses and learners.

Private Finance Initiative

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many projects for which the UK Government are responsible have been built in Wales under the private finance initiative.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office does not hold this information. HM Treasury publish information on their website on all PFI projects at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Police

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the  (a) capability and  (b) membership of the Afghan police force and the Afghan armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: holding answer 10 September 2007
	The strength of the Afghan National Army (ANA) on 1 August 2007 was 40,360 against a target figure of 70,000. The reason for this disparity is because the ANA has had to be recruited and trained from an almost non-existent base since 2001. The ANA is a key ally in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) campaign, and is proving itself to be increasingly capable of conducting operations alongside ISAF partners.
	The Afghan national police (ANP) is the primary law enforcement body within Afghanistan and receives training and mentoring from international donors, including through the US-led police training programme Combined Strategic Transition Command Afghanistan (CSTC-A) and the EU policing mission. The latest assessment by the CSTC-A estimates that there are around 76,000 members of the ANP drawn from all regions of Afghanistan. Our assessment is that the ANP requires further mentoring in order to be capable of conducting operations independently. Capability in policing functions is supplemented by the specialist skills of the counter narcotics police of Afghanistan, the Afghan border police and the Afghan national civil order police.

Afghanistan: Police

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what targets have been set for reform of policing in Afghanistan; what progress has been made towards reaching these targets; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: holding answer 10 September 2007
	The main Afghan national police (ANP) training programme is run by the US-led Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan (CSTC-A). The CSTC-A programme's target is for the ANP to be capable of operating effectively without international support, except in extremis, by December 2012. Support in meeting this target is provided by the EU policing mission launched in June, with the aim of improving the quality of the ANP. The latest assessment by the CSTC-A estimates that there are around 76,000 members of the ANP drawn from all regions of Afghanistan. The agreed policing structure, signed by the Afghan Government in 2007, anticipates growth of the ANP to reach a total of 82,000.

Iran: Baha'i Sect

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the UK Government have made of the impact of the changes in recent years in Iran's treatment of Baha'is in respect of higher education; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We remain concerned about the treatment of religious minorities in Iran and discrimination against the Baha'i community in particular. Denial of access to higher education has been a long-term problem for Baha'i students.
	After the removal of religious identification from the national university entrance examination in 2006, a number of Baha'i students sat the exam for academic year 2006-07. Although over 250 Baha'i students were admitted to various campuses across Iran last autumn, reports suggest that at least 120 were subsequently expelled as universities became aware of their religion. We are concerned that more Baha'i students may be expelled in the future.
	We recently received reports that students applying for places in technical and vocational institutions for the forthcoming 2007-08 academic year have been required to complete a form which asks them to state their religion. The minority religion options listed are Christian, Zoroastrian or Jewish and the form explains that if no box is marked the applicant will be considered to be Muslim. This is a worrying return to the earlier position whereby applicants had to state their religious affiliation. We wait to see whether there will be a similar change in admission procedures for university entry this academic year.
	We take this issue seriously and will continue to monitor the situation and take action as required. We have pressed the Iranian authorities on many occasions, bilaterally and through the EU, to address the discrimination against Iranian Baha'is. The EU did so most recently on 1 September, raising specific concerns about access to education. We also take action at the UN and in December 2006, we along with all EU countries, co-sponsored a resolution on human rights in Iran which expressed serious concern at
	"the increased frequency of discrimination and other human rights violations against members of the Baha'i Faith, including [...] the denial of access to higher education".

Iran: Baha'i Sect

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations have been  (a) received and  (b) made by the UK Government regarding the effects on Baha'i students of religious requirements introduced for entry to Iran's technical and vocational institutes.

Kim Howells: The Government received reports last month from the National Assembly of the Baha'is of the United Kingdom about a change in the application procedure for Iran's technical and vocational institutes. Students applying for places at these institutions for academic year 2007-08 have been required to complete a form that asks them to state their religion. The minority religion options listed are Christian, Zoroastrian or Jewish, and the form explains that if no box is marked the applicant will be considered to be Muslim. Baha'i students are effectively excluded from studying in these institutes unless they deny their faith by having it incorrectly recorded on official forms. This is a worrying new example of systematic discrimination against members of the Baha'i minority in Iran, who have long faced restrictions on access to higher education.
	We continue to raise our concerns about the treatment of the Iranian Baha'is with Iran, bilaterally and through the EU. In a meeting with the Iranian authorities on 1 September, the EU, with strong UK support, condemned such discriminatory measures used against the Baha'i community, and pressed Iran to uphold their international human rights commitments to freedom of religion and to ensure that Baha'is are given the same rights as other Iranian citizens including access to education.

Iran: Sanctions

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with his US counterpart about extending  (a) financial,  (b) trade and  (c) travel sanctions against Iran.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary maintains regular contact with his US counterpart and other key allies on the situation in Iran. Discussions are also taking place at senior official level within the E3+3 process (UK, France, Germany, US, Russia and China) about the next stages of the international community's response to Iran's failure to respect its international obligations. This process includes discussion of possible further restrictive measures against Iran. The Government and the US administration are united in the belief that Iran must realise that its continued defiance of the UN Security Council will not be cost free.

Sudan: Peace Keeping Operations

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs following the UN Security Council's passing of Resolution 1769, authorising the deployment of 26,000 peacekeepers to Darfur,  (a) what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other countries,  (b) when these discussions were held,  (c) what actions have been taken to date and  (d) what future actions are planned to ensure the success of the mission.

Jim Murphy: The UK is working closely with both the African Union (AU) and the UN to support the effective deployment of the AU-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). We are in regular contact with the UN's Department for Peacekeeping Operations, which is responsible for generating the forces required. At their request, we have lobbied widely for UN member states to provide the necessary capabilities. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the Minister with responsibility for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, have been in contact with several existing and potential troop contributors. Lord Malloch-Brown is currently visiting Sudan where he is raising the need for speedy deployment of the force with the Sudanese Government.
	At a meeting with the AU and UN on 7 September in Addis Ababa, the UK pressed for speedy deployments and effective integration of partner support to the AU Mission into UNAMID. We are also providing planning support to the mission. We will continue to work closely with the AU, UN and international partners to support its successful deployment.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

British Gas: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will seek to obtain from the chairman of British Gas replies to letters sent to him on 23 July, 23 August and 31 August by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. S. Stephenson.

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend will understand that, as an independent company, British Gas is responsible for dealing with its own correspondence. However, I understand that, in this case, British Gas has now replied to my right hon. Friend and his constituent.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what percentage of staff in his Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

Gareth Thomas: The percentage of staff over 60 years of age in each of the last three years is as set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Age 60 and over  Total population  Percentage of staff over 60 
			 1 January 2004 123 4,680 3 
			 1 January 2005 131 4,424 3 
			 1 January 2006 129 4,311 3 
			  Note: Based on total staff including UKTI and SBS

Departments: Press

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to which periodicals his Department subscribes.

Gareth Thomas: The information relating to this question is not held centrally within my Department. To collate this would incur disproportionate cost.

Electricity: Billing

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the average annual domestic electricity bill for a typical consumer in  (a) Cheltenham constituency and  (b) each region was in each year since 1998.

Malcolm Wicks: Average domestic electricity(1) bills are published for the 15 Public Electricity Supply areas in the UK. Cheltenham is contained in the West Midlands supply region, the average bill for this region will be representative of the average price for households in Cheltenham. The data presented are for standard credit customers in cash terms, they have not been adjusted for inflation.
	
		
			  Average annual domestic electricity bill 
			  £/year 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 East Midlands 261 254 240 233 228 228 239 266 321 
			 Eastern 263 251 241 230 227 226 231 262 316 
			 London 263 258 252 246 244 249 252 288 339 
			 Merseyside and North Wales 280 278 271 261 260 261 274 286 357 
			 North East 287 284 264 253 253 250 256 288 341 
			 North West 260 257 249 239 237 235 243 270 327 
			 Northern Ireland 326 326 308 317 325 325 329 338 360 
			 Northern Scotland 280 277 272 266 271 275 291 304 338 
			 South East 258 251 243 235 235 241 243 280 328 
			 South Wales 304 297 285 282 281 283 292 315 364 
			 South West 280 274 271 266 264 269 273 308 362 
			 Southern 257 255 254 253 254 255 264 285 335 
			 Southern Scotland 273 272 268 267 266 266 286 316 369 
			 West Midlands 253 252 245 239 237 238 247 279 333 
			 Yorkshire 256 252 250 241 239 239 248 279 335 
			 (1) The bills for standard electricity do not include customers who are on economy 7 tariffs.

Exports: Yorkshire and Humberside

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many businesses in the Yorkshire and Humber region export goods and services.

Gareth Thomas: HM Revenue and Customs publish details of the UK Regional Trade in Goods Statistics on a quarterly basis.
	In figures published on 6 September 2007 the total number of companies in the Yorkshire and Humber region exporting in the year ended March 2007 has been recorded by HM Revenue and Customs at 5,591.
	HM Revenue and Customs provisional data for the first two quarters of the year 2007-08 record 4,303 companies in the Yorkshire and Humber region exporting.

Foreign Investment: Yorkshire and Humberside

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much foreign investment was received in  (a) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (b) the City of York in each year since 2003; and what estimate he has made of the number of jobs generated from it.

Gareth Thomas: A total of 137 foreign direct investments have been recorded in Yorkshire and the Humber since 2003, of which 13 were in the City of York.
	Since 2003 the number of foreign direct investments per year is:
	
		
			   (a) Y and  H  total  (b) York City total 
			 2003-04 24 2 
			 2004-05 43 3 
			 2005-06 29 6 
			 2006-07 41 2 
			 Total 137 13 
		
	
	It is estimated that the total number of new jobs created in Yorkshire and the Humber since 2003 is 7,349.5 of which 169.5 were in the City of York. The total number of jobs saved in Yorkshire and the Humber since 2003 is 3,722 of which three were in the City of York.
	Since 2003 the number of jobs generated is:
	
		
			   Y and H jobs  York City jobs 
			   New  Saved  New  Saved 
			 2003-04 2,356 460 53 0 
			 2004-05 2,595 1,207 10 3 
			 2005-06 1,699.5 1,021 21.5 0 
			 2006-07 699 1,034 85 0 
			 Total 7,349.5 3,722 169.5 3

Fuel Poverty

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he is taking to ensure that the cost of gas and electricity is affordable to fuel-poor households; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: BERR continues to work with the industry, OFGEM, Energywatch and the voluntary sector to ensure that fuel poor households are aware of, and take advantage of, the significant reductions that can be made in energy bills by transferring supplier, using the cheapest and simplest payment methods, installing energy efficiency measures and accessing Government and industry social and fuel poverty programmes.
	In the Energy White Paper, we welcomed initiatives announced by energy companies that help their vulnerable customers to cope with high prices, and we continue to encourage more companies to take action in this area. We see the provision of assistance to help their most vulnerable customers as a key part of each company's corporate social responsibility programmes, and will be looking for each company to put in place a proportional programme of assistance.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which miners' compensation claims are to be outsourced to India; and when they were first registered with his Department.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 10 September 2007
	No claims will be outsourced to India. Capita's operation in Mumbai will handle some routine administration work on the coal health compensation schemes. None of the work will be customer facing. Nor will it involve interaction with solicitors or claimants.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what restrictions there are in his Department's contract with Capita in relation to the outsourcing of miners' compensation claims to India.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 10 September 2007
	The Department's contract with Capita does not restrict the transfer of work to India. The decision to offshore is ultimately a commercial decision. The Department supported this decision to help manage risks including those associated with staff retention in the period until completion of the coal health compensation schemes.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many miners' compensation claims remain unsettled in  (a) Bassetlaw and  (b) nationally.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 10 September 2007
	The numbers of outstanding claims are as follows:
	 (a) In Bassetlaw, there are 1,187 respiratory disease claims and 411 Vibration White Finger claims outstanding; and
	 (b) Nationally, there are 119,800 respiratory disease claims and 16,270 Vibration White Finger claims outstanding.

Natural Gas: Billing

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the average annual domestic gas bill for a typical consumer in  (a) Cheltenham constituency and  (b) each region was in each year since 1998.

Malcolm Wicks: Average domestic gas bills are published for the 12 local distribution zones in Great Britain. Cheltenham is contained in the West Midlands region, the average bill for this region will be representative of the average price for households in Cheltenham. The data presented are for standard credit customers in cash terms, it has not been adjusted for inflation.
	
		
			  Average annual domestic gas bill 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 East Midlands 316 303 292 290 309 312 331 383 473 
			 Eastern 318 305 296 291 309 321 332 383 474 
			 London 318 305 295 293 309 320 334 388 480 
			 North East 309 304 294 290 309 318 332 385 474 
			 North West 314 304 295 294 309 317 330 383 474 
			 Northern 315 301 290 292 312 319 333 380 468 
			 Scotland 313 307 297 294 311 320 332 384 469 
			 South East 314 305 296 295 311 324 333 387 478 
			 South West 312 306 299 297 312 322 334 389 478 
			 Southern 316 307 299 296 311 322 336 390 472 
			 Wales 313 297 291 291 306 318 335 391 460 
			 West Midlands 317 307 297 296 313 324 333 389 480

Regional Development Agencies: Boston, Massachusetts.

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many regional development agencies have offices in Boston, Massachusetts.

Stephen Timms: The information is as follows.
	AWM and EMDA have a joint office in Boston under the 'British Midlands' banner.
	NWDA and One NorthEast have a joint office in Boston under the 'North of England' banner.
	SEEDA has an office in Boston.
	EEDA, LDA, SWRDA and Yorkshire Forward have no offices there.

Renewable Energy

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what percentage of energy produced in the UK between 1 January and 30 June came from renewable sources.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 10 September 2007
	The latest available data are for 2006 as a whole and show that energy produced from renewable sources in the UK amounted to 3,933 thousand tonnes of oil equivalent. Total indigenous production of energy in the UK in 2006 amounted to 196,668 thousand tonnes of oil equivalent, so in percentage terms UK renewable sources accounted for 2 per cent. In 2006, 4.6 per cent. of the electricity generated in the UK was from renewable sources.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK military personnel have lost limbs during operations in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq.

Des Browne: holding answer 10 September 2007
	The Complex Rehabilitation and Amputee Unit (CRAU) at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC), at Headley Court in Surrey became fully operational on 1 June 2006. Between that date and 6 September 2007, it has treated 24 casualties from Iraq and 12 from Afghanistan.
	Prior to 1 June 2006, comprehensive information on the number of military personnel who have suffered amputations as a result of wounds received on active service was not held centrally. To provide this information would require the examination of the individual medical records of each patient who has been classified as very seriously injured or seriously injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. These records can only be viewed for non-clinical reasons with the express consent of each individual concerned, to protect patient confidentiality.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to reimburse Royal Mail to enable parcels to be posted free of charge to military personnel serving in Afghanistan and Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: On 25 August the Ministry of Defence and Royal Mail Group announced that a free postage scheme would operate between 3 September and 7 December inclusive, and that further negotiations would take place on how to extend the scheme beyond this date.
	These discussions are currently under way and it would not be appropriate to speculate on their outcome at this time. A statement on the future of the free postage scheme will be made once negotiations have been finalised.

Armed Forces: Retirement

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces approaching retirement had applications for extension of service declined in each year since 2000.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 10 September 2007
	The majority of the information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Data are available, however, for Royal Navy Ratings between 2000 and 2005 and are shown as follows.
	
		
			  RN RatingsApplications for Extension of Service Declined 
			   Number 
			 2000 47 
			 2001 61 
			 2002 57 
			 2003 57 
			 2004 30 
			 2005 38

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role and function the future utility vehicle under the Future Rapid Effect System programme will play in counter-insurgency.

Bob Ainsworth: The Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) will deliver a fleet of wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles capable of operating across the spectrum of operations and protect against the most likely threats. The FRES utility vehicle operating alongside more specialist Protected Patrol Vehicles such as Mastiff could carry out a variety of tasks during counter insurgency operations including patrols and the movement of personnel and equipment.

BAE Systems: Saudi Arabia

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what requests his Department has received from the US Department of Justice for assistance with its investigation into BAE Systems; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 10 September 2007
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1132W, to the right hon. Member for East Yorkshire (Mr. Knight).

Ballistic Missile Defence

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from  (a) hon. Members,  (b) members of the public and  (c) campaign organisations on his written ministerial statement of 25 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 71-2WS, on ballistic missile defence.

Des Browne: As of 10 September, I have received 10 letters from MPs (all but one of them forwarding correspondence from constituents), and 17 letters from members of the public (two of which were on behalf of Quaker meetings), relating to my written ministerial statement on ballistic missile defence.

Departments: Information Officers

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total expenditure on his Department's communications and media personnel was in 2006-07.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence does not record centrally expenditure on communications and media personnel across Defence where the personnel devote only a small proportion of their time to communications. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, in 2006-07 expenditure on all personnel employed by the MOD's central Directorate General Media and Communicationsincluding all regional and support staffwas 10.4 million.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Government officials were authorised to speak to BBC Newsnight in respect of that programme's item on Wednesday 8 August about the provenance of weapons used against United Kingdom and coalition forces in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 10 September 2007
	 Officials from the MOD were not authorised to speak to Newsnight about this specific issue.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will put in place increased and improved counter-indirect fire measures to protect UK service personnel serving at Basra air station in Iraq.

Des Browne: holding answer 10 September 2007
	Improving the protection of UK service personnel at Basra Air Station has been, and continues to be, a top priority. There are a range of offensive, defensive and protective measures in place to protect our people. We continually develop our tactics, procedures and capabilities to deal with the evolving threat. I can confirm that in the last few months a number of new and improved capabilities have been put in place and the position will continue to be kept under review.
	I am withholding details of specific equipment or techniques as their release would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a Government official responded to the attribution by BBC Newsnight of remarks during its programme on 8 August about the provenance of weapons used against the United Kingdom and coalition forces in Iraq to a Government official; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 10 September 2007
	An official from the MOD contacted BBC Newsnight following the report.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopters there are in the UK armed services, broken down by  (a) type and  (b) role; and how many helicopters in the UK armed services are (i) out of service due to reduced readiness and (ii) mothballed.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 10 September 2007
	 The following table sets out the number of helicopters in the UK armed forces broken down by type and role as at 4 September 2007. Aircraft that are out of service due to reduced readiness has been taken to mean aircraft in the Depth Fleet, that is, aircraft on scheduled routine maintenance, repair and upgrade programmes. Mothballed has been taken to mean aircraft placed in storage in a flying or 'near flying' condition. The fleet sizes quoted cover those aircraft expected to be flown and does not include some aircraft that are currently classified as redundant or un-repairable.
	
		
			  Helicopter type  Helicopter role  Fleet size  In depth fleet (as part of fleet size)  In storage (as part of fleet size 
			 Agusta A109A/AM Light multi-role 4 0 0 
			 Apache AH MK1 Attack helicopter 67 18 0 
			 Chinook Mk 2/2a Heavy lift 40 13 0 
			 Gazelle Mk 1(1) Light utility/reconnaissance 73 19 0 
			 Lynx Mk 3/Mk 8 Anti-submarine  anti small surface craft 64 20 0 
			 Lynx Mk 7/9 Multi role light utility (lift, reconnaissance, casualty evacuation) 99 33 7 
			 Merlin Mk 1 Anti-submarine  anti surface warfare 39 11 0 
			 Merlin Mk 3 Battlefield support helicopter 22 8 0 
			 Puma Mk 1 Battlefield helicopter 38 13 0 
			 Sea King Mk 3/3a Search and Rescue (SAR) 25 8 0 
			 Sea King Mk 4 Commando 37 8 0 
			 Sea King Mk 5 Helicopter utility (HU) 16 5 0 
			 Sea King Mk 6CR Commando 5 1 2 
			 Sea King Mk 7 Airborne surveillance and control (ASAC) 13 4 0 
			 (1 )Gazelle is being progressively removed from service. In addition to the figures provided above there are a number of Gazelle which although in storage have been cannibalised and are not in a flying or 'near flying' condition. 
		
	
	In addition to the aircraft in the table there are 14 Sea King Mk 6s which have been removed from service having gone beyond their out of service date and are not in a flying or 'near flying' condition.
	Also the MOD has acquired six Danish Merlin aircraft that are currently in the process of being modified to theatre entry specification. There are also eight Chinook Mk3 helicopters currently being converted to a support helicopter role.
	In addition to the aircraft above the Department contracts for commercially owned but military registered helicopters and the following table shows those broken down by type and role as at 4 September 2007. These aircraft are on availability contracts and are not owned by the Department.
	
		
			  Helicopter type  Fleet size  Helicopter role 
			 Dauphin 2 Winching and operations to NATO ships 
			 Bell 212 7 Utility 
			 Bell 412 15 Utility 
			 Squirrel 37 Flying training 
			 Agusta A109E Power 3 Communications flight/VIP

Nuclear Weapons: Procurement

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when development work began on the high surety warhead at Aldermaston; how much has been spent on the warhead; and what the total projected cost for the new warhead is.

Des Browne: There is no programme to develop a new warhead at AWE Aldermaston.
	In section 7 of the December 2006 White Paper: The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent (Cmd 6994) we explained that decisions on whether and how we may need to refurbish or replace our current warhead are likely to be necessary in the next Parliament. As part of the work to inform those decisions we are now reviewing the optimum life of our existing warhead stockpile and identifying the range of replacement options that might be available.

Royal Military Academy: Charities

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors were taken into account in deciding not to waive the liability charge for the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Music on Fire charity.

Derek Twigg: Under Government Finance Accounting Regulations, there are no special arrangements for the treatment of charities, whether Service or other. The fact that a charity is to be the main beneficiary of a good or service is not sufficient justification to introduce a special charging regime or to set charges aside.
	Under normal charging arrangements full costs would be levied for an event such as the Music on Fire event held by the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF) at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 22, 23 and 24 September 2006. However, in view of the fact that the ABF works on behalf of ex-Service personnel, a case for abatement was agreed whereby the MOD subsidised the cost of hosting this event. The contract drawn up between the MOD and the ABF stated that the charge would be 15 per cent. of the net profit from the event or the direct costs to the MOD, whichever was greater.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Equal Pay

Nick Brown: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the gender pay gap was for part-time employees in  (a) the public sector and  (b) the private sector in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	In 2006, the gender pay gap for part-time employees was 39.3 per cent. in the public sector and 44.1 per cent. in the private sector. This is the gap between the median hourly pay, excluding overtime, of men working full-time and women working part-time, taken from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.

Females: Criminal Proceedings

Lynne Jones: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent discussions she has had with colleagues in the Ministry of Justice on implementing the recommendations of the Corston report.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	In drafting my Command Paper 7183 Priorities for the Ministers for Women I consulted with the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice on women offenders and women at risk. Officials from the Women and Equality Unit are working with the Ministry of Justice and other Government Departments on a joined up Government response to Baroness Corston's report.

Public Sector: Equal Pay

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what progress is being made to ensure equal pay for women working in the public sector.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	Since 1997, the gender pay gap in the public sector has fallen by five percentage points and now stands at nine per cent. based on median, full-time hourly pay.
	The public sector gender equality duty, which came into force in April, includes a requirement for public authorities to set out their overall gender equality objectives and to consider the need to have objectives to address the causes of any differences between the pay of men and women related to their sex.
	The Public Services Forum (PSF), set up to promote dialogue between Government, trade unions and employers on public service workforce reform issues, has agreed to consider the Government's Action Plan Implementing the Women and Work Commission recommendations at its next meeting in October, and to discuss the links between increasing women's access to wider career options, flexible reward systems and equal pay. The Government's commitment on fair and equal pay is embedded within the PSF Pay and Reward Principles.
	The Government continue to monitor equal pay across the public sector.

HEALTH

Care Homes

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether recent action has been taken to remove the restrictions on local authorities in England which do not allow them to make and pay for residential placements in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Alan Johnson: Under section 21 of the National Assistance Act 1948 English local authorities only have powers to place people in residential care in England and Wales. However, we wish to change this to enable local authorities to make cross-border placements.
	Under section 56 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001, the Secretary of State for Health has the power to make regulations to enable local authorities to make placements in other parts of the United Kingdom.
	Discussion between the Department and opposite numbers in countries covered by section 56 have revealed that because of the very different care regimes in these countries, this would be much more complex and difficult to make than originally thought. The Department is considering these difficulties and how to deal with them.

Dental Services: Cornwall

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental patients were treated in Cornwall in each year since 1997.

Alan Johnson: Information is not held in the format requested.
	Information is available on the number of patients registered with a dental practice to receive national health service care and treatment, for the period up to 31 March 2006. Numbers of patients registered as at 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2006 are available in annex A of the NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006.
	Information is available at strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) level in England. Annex C of the above report also includes numbers of registrations at parliamentary constituency level.
	This report is available in the Library and is also available on-line at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006
	Since April 2006, patients no longer have to register with a dental practice to receive NHS care and treatment. Instead, data are collected on the number of patients receiving NHS dental services (patients seen) in a given area over a 24-month period. This is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years when patients registered for a 15 month period.
	The number of patients seen in the 24 month period ending 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in table C1 of annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07 report. Information is available at SHA and PCT level in England.
	This report is available in the Library and is also available on-line at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607

Dental Services: Finance

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was allocated for providing general dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS) dentistry in 2006-07 net of patient charge income; and how much was spent on GDS and PDS dentistry in 2006-07.

Alan Johnson: The total funding allocation for primary dental care services in England in 2006-07, and provisional data on expenditure on those services by primary care trusts (PCTs), are set out in the following table. Primary dental care services comprise general dental and personal dental services commissioned by PCTs from independent dental providers and national health service trusts, and salaried dental services managed directly by PCTs.
	
		
			  Primary dental care services funding, England, 2006-07 
			million 
			 Primary dental service allocation, net of patient charge income 1,764.7 
			 Primary care trust expenditure on primary dental care services, net of patient charge income (1)1,738.7 
			 (1 )Provisional data  Source:  Locally audited PCT summarisation schedules, 2006/07, but data are subject to further audit and checking by the Department of Health and by the National Audit Office.

Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust: Waiting Lists

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in the Gloucestershire primary care trust (PCT) had waited longer than 18 weeks between general practitioner referral and hospital treatment in each quarter since the PCT's establishment.

Alan Johnson: Information on the number of patients for Gloucestershire primary care trust (PCT) who had waited longer than 18 weeks since the PCT's establishment in October 2006 is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Referral to treatment (RTT) data for admitted patients for Gloucestershire PCT 
			  Month  Number of admitted patients treated over 18 weeks  Percentage admitted patients treated over 18 weeks  Data completeness assessment (percentage) 
			 January 2007 1,071 48 n/a 
			 February 2007 897 47 n/a 
			 March 2007 1,207 51 87 
			 April 2007 909 45 86 
			 May 2007 964 43 87 
			 June 2007 1,068 48 91 
			 n/a = not available.  Notes: 1. RTT data were not collected centrally prior to January 2007. 2. Data relate to admitted patients only, i.e. patients whose 18 week pathway ended with an in-patient/day case admission. 3. A data completeness assessment is published alongside the reported RTT figures each month in order to aid interpretation of this relatively new set of data. The measure compares the number of pathways reported against an existing data collection. Nationally, data completeness was at 70 per cent. for June 2007. 4. Data for non-admitted patients (patients whose 18 week pathway did not end with an in-patient/day case admission) have been collected since April 2007 but are not yet published.  Source: Monthly RTT data collection (published)

Health Services: Suffolk

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he expects to publish the terms of reference for the Independent Reconfiguration Panel's review of Suffolk Primary Care Trust's plans for health services in Sudbury;
	(2)  whether under the terms of reference of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel's review of Suffolk Primary Care Trust's plans for health services in Sudbury, Sudbury WATCH will be given the opportunity to address the panel.

Alan Johnson: The Independent Reconfiguration Panel's (IRP) terms of reference in relation to the referral from Suffolk Health Scrutiny Committee have not been agreed, although we expect them to be available shortly.
	As part of a formal review, the IRP will consult with interested parties from all sides of the debate. IRP members will undertake site visits, hold meetings and interviews and request written evidence from interested parties.

Influenza: Vaccination

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure sufficient supply of seasonal influenza vaccine for the 2007-08 winter.

Alan Johnson: The Department meets with representatives from UK Vaccine Industry Group each year to discuss flu vaccine requirements for the United Kingdom. On 24 July 2007, Professor David Salisbury, Director of Immunisation wrote to the profession saying that over 15 million doses of seasonal flu vaccine would be available for distribution in the United Kingdom.

Maternity Services: Manpower

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ratio is of maternity nurses to births in each health authority area.

Alan Johnson: The ratio of births to maternity nurses by Government region is as shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Region  Ratio 
			 North East 17.61:1 
			 North West 15.89:1 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 18.61:1 
			 East Midlands 20.00:1 
			 West Midlands 20.06:1 
			 East 19.24:1 
			 London 19.30:1 
			 South East 19.09:1 
			 South West 17.24:1 
			 England 18.49:1 
			  Note: Figures based on the Information Centre for health and social care's workforce census 2006 and from the national health service maternity statistics for England 2005-06.

Medical Treatments

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his letter of 27 July to the hon. Member for Wellingborough, what the evidential basis was for his statement that Mrs. Waterer has had the treatment Avastin made available to her.

Alan Johnson: The evidential basis was the hon. Member's comments to the House, on 12 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1627.

Midwives: Gloucestershire

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent midwives there were in  (a) Cheltenham and  (b) Gloucestershire in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: Information is not held centrally in the format requested. Information about number of full-time equivalent midwives at the Gloucestershire hospitals national health service foundation trust is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  NHS hospital  and community health services: r egistered midwifes at Gloucestershire hospitals NHS foundation trust as at 30 September each specified year 
			  Full-time equivalent 
			   Number 
			 1997 165 
			 1998 170 
			 1999 164 
			 2000 164 
			 2001 166 
			 2002 151 
			 2003 155 
			 2004 174 
			 2005 173 
			 2006 166 
			  Notes: 1. Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number. In 2002 Gloucestershire Royal NHS trust and East Gloucestershire trusts merged to form Gloucestershire hospitals NHS foundation trust. 2. Figures prior to 2002 are therefore listed as a combination of the two former organisations.  Source: Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census

NHS: Manpower

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) doctors,  (b) nurses and  (c) dentists were employed in the NHS in (i) full-time equivalent terms and (ii) headcount terms in  (A) 1979,  (B) 1997 and  (C) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  All doctors, dentists and qualified nursing staff England 
			   Number (headcount)9HC) and full-time equivalents 
			   1979  1997  2006  2007 
			   HC  FTE  HC  FTE  HC  FTE  HC  FTE 
			 All NHS Doctors(1, 2) 65,442 (5) 89,619 84,758 125,612 119,096 (5) (5) 
			  
			 HCHS medical and dental staff(1) 42,380 (5) 60,230 57,099 90,243 85,975 (5) (5) 
			 General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers)(2) 23,062 (5) 29,389 27,660 35,369 33,121 (5) (5) 
			  
			 Dentists(3) 12,425 (5) 16,470 (5) (6) (5) 21,041 (5) 
			  
			 Total Qualified Nursing staff(4) 192,052 161,359 318,856 256,093 398,335 322,062 (5) (5) 
			 Qualified Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff(1) 190,243 160,367 300,467 246,011 374,538 307,447 (5) (5) 
			 GP Practice Nurses 1,809 992 18,389 10,082 23,797 14,616 (5) (5) 
			 (1) Headcount figures exclude medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are also GPs that work part-time in hospitals. (2 )GP retainers were first collected in 1999 and are omitted for comparability purposes (3 )Information as at 31 March 2007 is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006, and is not comparable with earlier information. Due to changes in coverage between the old and new contractual arrangements, there are some dentists working in trust-led dental services who were not previously included in the old figures. The national health service Business Services Authority Dental Services Division has estimated an upper bound of 578 dentists who fall in this category. The figures take no account of the level of service, if any, that each dentist provided. Numbers of dentists (headcount) have been provided as no whole-time equivalent information is available. (4) Figures for 1979 are hospital staff only and are therefore not directly comparable with later years All data as at 30 September except 1979 and 1997 GP practice nurse data as at 1 October. (5) Denotes data not available. (6 )N/A

NHS: Maternity Pay

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many trusts have waived their rights to recovery of maternity pay as set out in part 3, section 15.30 of Agenda for Change: NHS terms and conditions of service handbook, January 2005;
	(2)  what studies his Department has carried out into the cost implications of NHS trusts waiving their rights to recovery of maternity pay as set out in part 3, section 15.30 of Agenda for Change: NHS terms and conditions of service handbook, January 2005.

Alan Johnson: We do not hold information centrally on trusts waiving their right to recovery of maternity pay as set out in part 3, section 15.30 of 'Agenda for Change: NHS terms and conditions of service handbook, January 2005' and no studies have been undertaken on this issue.

NHS: Sick Leave

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies his Department has undertaken into the cost of sick leave to the NHS.

Alan Johnson: Data on sickness absence are collected as a part of the Department's routine monitoring and has been a part of the Department's productive time programme. An indicator on sickness absence is included in the Better Care Better Value Indicators. The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement included managing sickness absence as one of the ways of improving efficiency and productivity in their publication 'Delivering Quality and Value: Focus on Productivity and Efficiency'.

NHS: Working Hours

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the variety in the interpretations and determinations of the European Working Time Directives in relation to hospital staff in England; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: The Government are fully committed to the implementation of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD), as part of health and safety law.
	The EWTD was implemented for the vast majority of national health service staff groups in 1998 in accordance with regulations. The Government negotiated an extension to the EWTD for doctors in training to enable phased implementation from August 2004.
	The Department is sponsoring NHS national workforce projects to support local EWTD implementation for doctors in training through a range of pilots including cooperative solutions, team working, handover and escalation and 24:7 working. The pilots take in a wide variety of organisations to look at solutions which are transferable across the NHS. There is ongoing evaluation of the pilots to share lessons learned as early as possible.

Northwick Park Hospital: Maternal Mortality

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the conclusions of the Healthcare Commission were on the contributory factors to maternal deaths at Northwick Park following the merger with Central Middlesex; and how many births there were at Northwick Park  (a) before and  (b) after the merger.

Alan Johnson: The findings of the Healthcare Commission into the maternity deaths at Northwick Park have been placed in the Library and are available on the Healthcare Commission's website:
	www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/_db/_documents/Northwick _tagged.pdf
	The information requested on the number of births at Northwick Park before and after the merger with Central Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust is not held centrally. However, the amount of births at North West London Hospital NHS Trust since 1999 is shown in the following table. Data were not provided in 2001-02 due to data issues associated with this Trust.
	
		
			  Count of finished consultant (birth) episodes at North West London Hospital NHS Trust 1999-2006 
			   Birth Episodes 
			 2005-06 5,041 
			 2004-05 5,568 
			 2003-04 5,272 
			 2002-03 4,863 
			 2001-02 (1) 
			 2000-01 3,722 
			 1999-2000 5,145 
			 (1) Data not available due to data quality issues   Notes:  A finished consultant episode is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have had more than one episode of care within the year.   Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics

Prescriptions: Standards

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether mechanisms are being put in place to ensure that strategic health authorities are integrating approaches to prescribing across primary and secondary care so that there is consistency between general practitioners' and consultants' choices of drugs with regard to patients discharged into primary care as recommended by the National Audit Office's report, Prescribing Costs in Primary Care;
	(2)  what mechanisms are being put in place to ensure that strategic health authorities are integrating approaches to prescribing across primary and secondary care so that patients discharged into primary care are not continued on their course of drug treatment for longer than necessary, as recommended by the National Audit Office's report Prescribing Costs in Primary Care.

Alan Johnson: Medicines management and prescribing have long been recognised as key elements of both primary care trust and acute trust business and it is important that these organisations liaise effectively on these issues. This can be achieved through Area Prescribing Committees (APCs). The Department recently commissioned the National Prescribing Centre to update their guidance document, which was published in May this year, with the aim of reinforcing the role of APCs.

Prescriptions: Standards

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are being put in place to ensure that strategic health authorities are integrating approaches to prescribing across primary and secondary care so that patients discharged into primary care have their medicines reviewed regularly, as recommended by the National Audit Office's report Prescribing Costs in Primary Care.

Alan Johnson: There are a wide range of mechanisms in place in primary care to assist healthcare professionals in reviewing patients' medication use, for example medicines use reviews, repeat dispensing and National Prescribing Centre initiatives, such as the medicines management collaborate scheme. The recent National Audit Office report on prescribing costs in primary care places further impetus on undertaking these types of activities.

Primary Care Trusts: Drugs

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local drug anti-wastage practices in primary care trusts;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1104-05W, on the NHS: drugs, what progress has been made on commissioning research to establish the extent of medicines waste and the complex and varied reasons for it.

Alan Johnson: The Department has made no assessment of the effectiveness of local anti-wastage drug practice in primary care trusts. However, we intend to commission new research on the scale, costs and causes of waste medicines to inform policy development for influencing both health professionals and members of the public to reduce the amount of unwanted medicines. A research specification is under development.

Tinnitus: Health Services

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many tinnitus clinics there are in England.

Alan Johnson: This information is not collected centrally.

Tinnitus: Research

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on research into tinnitus in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: The information requested is not available. Details of individual national health service supported research projects including a number concerned with tinnitus are available on the national research register at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/research.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. The MRC is an independent body that receives its grant-in-aid from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
	Although the MRC is not currently funding any research specifically relating to tinnitus it has a large portfolio of hearing and deafness research, some of which may lead to further understanding of the condition.
	MRC expenditure on hearing and deafness research since 1997 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			million 
			 1997-98 3.2 
			 1998-99 3.5 
			 1999-2000 3.3 
			 2000-01 5 
			 2001-02 3.9 
			 2002-03 n/a 
			 2003-04 6.1 
			 2004-05 6 
			 2005-06 5.9 
			 n/a = not available

West Sussex Primary Care Trust: Resignations

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reasons he was given for the resignation of the chairman of the West Sussex primary care trust, Mr. David Taylor.

Alan Johnson: I understand that a press release issued by West Sussex primary care trust on 26 July 2007 states that Mr. David Taylor resigned from the post of chairman for personal reasons.

Wheelchairs

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines have been produced by his Department which would indicate NHS funding for wheelchair users should be awarded on the basis of home-use only.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has not produced any guidelines to indicate how national health service funding for wheelchair users should be awarded.
	Eligibility is based on local criteria, which should include clinical and lifestyle needs and the ability of the client to use the specified chair safely.

Worthing Hospital: Maternity Services

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where Worthing hospital maternity service is positioned in the national rates of still births and neonatal mortality; and how many qualified consultants' hours were available to Worthing hospital maternity service per week in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alan Johnson: We have not calculated a national league table of rates of stillbirths by hospital. However, we can say that the rates of stillbirths and neonatal deaths at Worthing hospital are much lower than the rates for England and Wales. The following table shows number and rate for stillbirths and neonatal deaths in England and Wales and at Worthing Hospital.
	
		
			  Stillbirths number and rate, 2005 (latest year available) 
			   Number  Rate( 1) 
			 England and Wales 3,483 5.4 
			 Worthing Hospital 7 2.9 
		
	
	
		
			  Neonatal deaths number and rate, 2002-05( 2) 
			   Number  Rate( 3) 
			 England and Wales 8,826 3.5 
			 Worthing Hospital 7 0.7 
			 (1) Per 1,000 live and still births.  (2) It is not possible to provide number of neonatal deaths in Worthing hospital for 2005 alone because of the risk of disclosing individual's information due to the very small number of deaths.  (3) Per 1,000 live births. 
		
	
	Neonatal survival rates of very preterm babies have improved over the past 10 years. In 2005, the stillbirth rate was 5.4. We are funding research linked to premature births from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit. Some parts of this research have received additional funding from agencies such as the Medical Research Council. A simple guideline from National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is being used to help interpret monitoring in labour to identify babies at risksuch babies are then delivered as early as possible.
	Data on how many qualified consultants' hours were available to Worthing hospital maternity service per week are not held centrally.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Hertfordshire University: Business

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what role Hertfordshire University has in the development of policy on business facing universities.

Bill Rammell: The Government set out their strategic priorities for the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in setting out the funding made available to it for 2007-08. These included the need to respond to the challenges set out by the Leitch Review of Skills concerning developing a high-skills workforce.
	HEFCE has a two-phase approach to developing a strategy for employer engagement leading from a pilot exploratory phase to a full strategy shared with the Council, the higher education (HE) sector, and its key partners. This approach recognises that there are a broad range of collaborations which exist between HE and public and private sector organisations, as explored in the Lambert Report on Business-University Collaboration (2003).
	This first phase supports a range of project activity, including three regional 'Higher Level Skills Pathfinders' and a group of currently 8 'employer engagement pilots' (one of which the University of Hertfordshire is undertaking). The experience of institutions like The University of Hertfordshire will both help to inform HEFCE's strategy for employer engagement, and provide valuable lessons for other HE institutions looking to collaborate with employers.

Hertfordshire University: Business

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the employability of Hertfordshire university graduates following the business-facing university pilot.

Bill Rammell: The Department has made no assessment of the employability of graduates from the university of Hertfordshire. The university is receiving funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England for its 'UHEvolution' project, which is engaging employers in a variety of ways and which may in due course result in improved employment outcomes for its graduates. However, this project is in its early stages and its outcomes have yet to be assessed.

Hertfordshire University: Business

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the pilot making Hertfordshire university a business facing university.

Bill Rammell: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has not yet made any assessment of the impact of the activities it funds under the 'UHEvolution' project. The university is undertaking this project to help it become 'business-facing'.

Higher Education: Business

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps are being taken to encourage co-operation between universities and business.

Bill Rammell: The Department has a policy of encouraging higher education institutions (HEIs) to increase their interaction with business and with employers generally.
	The Higher Education Innovation Fund, which provides funding to all HEIs in England is a key incentive. Funding for this programme has increased from 187 million for the two academic years 2004/05-2005/06 to 238 million for 2006/07-2007/08. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has allocated 60 million of its research funding in 2007/08 by reference to research grants and contracts from business.
	HEFCE also fund a range of projects that are helping to identify, respond to, and increase employer demand for workforce development at HE-level, in line with its strategy for employer engagement and our plans for implementing the Leitch Review of Skills.

Higher Education: Innovation

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether his Department takes any measures to encourage social entrepreneurship at universities.

Bill Rammell: The Department is supporting social entrepreneurship by funding three initiatives. We provide financial support to the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship for its Flying Start programme which includes workshops aimed specifically at social entrepreneurs.
	Departmental funding is provided through the Higher Education Funding Council for England for 10 of the Higher Education Academy's subject centres to encourage and teach entrepreneurship as part of existing HE courses.
	The Department also funds the Higher Education Funding Council for England to support two Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (the Institute for Enterprise and the White Rose Centre) both of which support enterprise education communities.

Schools: Fire Prevention

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many colleges  (a) have sprinklers and  (b) do not have sprinklers fitted within them.

Bill Rammell: The Department is not responsible for compiling information on how many colleges have or do not have sprinklers fitted within them.

Vocational Training: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether he plans to commission research on skills deficiencies and training needs within the Leeds, West, constituency in the light of the Leitch Report; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department does not plan to commission any such research. However, the Regional Skills Partnership for Yorkshire and the Humber will shortly be undertaking an analysis of skill needs and demand for skills across the region.

JUSTICE

Burglaries: Surrey

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of those convicted for a burglary committed in Surrey in each of the last five years were sentenced to a custodial sentence; and how many were under 21 years when convicted.

Michael Wills: Data showing the proportion of those convicted for a burglary committed in Surrey from 2001 to 2005 who received a custodial sentence are shown in the following table. Data are provided for all ages and for defendants aged under 21 years when convicted.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts and given custodial sentences for burglary in Surrey, broken down by age, 2001 to 2005( 1, 2) 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Found guiltyall ages 206 197 188 231 225 
			 Found guiltyaged  under 21 88 69 78 82 90 
			 Number found guilty given a custodial sentenceall ages 109 88 73 102 84 
			 Number found guilty given a custodial sentenceaged under 21 30 19 20 17 20 
			 Percentage of those found guilty given a custodial sentenceall ages 53 45 39 44 37 
			 Percentage of those found guilty given a custodial sentenceaged under 21 34 28 26 21 22 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.   Source:  Court proceedings database held by RDSOffice for Criminal Justice Reform, Ministry of Justice.

Constituencies

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to ensure that future elections in new parliamentary constituencies with recently revised district council ward boundaries are conducted on the basis of the new boundaries.

Michael Wills: New parliamentary boundaries are delineated by reference to district council wards as they exist at a particular point in time. However, the use of wards is merely the most convenient method by which to describe the physical geographical area of the constituency. There is no legislative requirement to run a parliamentary election on the basis of local government wards. The administrative units for the running of a parliamentary election are the polling district and the constituency.
	As and when wards are amended, the parliamentary constituency will therefore not automatically change, although the Parliamentary Boundary Commission will consider whether an interim review and possible amendment to the parliamentary constituency may be justified.

Criminal Justice Act 2003

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to bring outstanding sections of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 into effect.

David Hanson: Of the 329 substantive sections in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 the vast majority have been brought wholly into force. Only a small percentage of the remainder remain unimplemented. These figures are shown in the following table.
	Officials are actively working on these areas of legislation with a view to implementation; considering resource implications; undertaking pilot exercises; or examining other necessary procedures and practices.
	
		
			   Number of sections  Percentage of sections 
			 Wholly in force 276 84 
			 Partially in force 26 8 
			 Not in force 26 8 
			 Repealed 1

Departments: Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been appointed to his Department outside civil service grades in the last 30 days.

Michael Wills: The number of appointments outside of civil service grades in the last 30 days is not held centrally. To obtain this information each individual business area within my Department would have to be contacted at a disproportionate cost.

Electronic Conveyancing

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to prevent the emergence of a monopoly in the provision of e-conveyancing through the chain matrix system.

Michael Wills: Land Registry is empowered by primary legislation under the Land Registration Act 2002 to create the Chain Matrix as the system by which e-conveyancing, a statutory service, is accessed. As such, Land Registry is not obliged to offer alternative methods of access or service delivery. Chain Matrix itself, however, is not a unique product within the market as there are other types of electronic property sale tracking systems operating at present. As such, the monopoly question does not apply.

Firearms: Sentencing

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in England and Wales were sentenced for offences, committed when over the age of 18 years, under sections 5(1)(a), (ab), (aba), (ac), (ad), (ae), (af) or (c), or section 5(1A)(a) of the Firearms Act 1968, to  (a) five or more years imprisonment,  (b) imprisonment of less than five years and  (c) a non-custodial sentence in each year since 2004.

David Hanson: The number of persons aged 18 or over in England and Wales sentenced under the above sections of the Firearms Act (1968) for the years 2004 and 2005 are given as follows:
	
		
			   2004  2005 
			 Five or more years imprisonment 76 142 
			 Less than five years imprisonment 165 91 
			 Non-custodial sentence 446 120 
		
	
	Although the persons were convicted in 2004 and 2005, the offence was not necessarily committed in those years and may have been committed before the introduction of the minimum sentence in January 2004.
	Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile these figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Consequently, although figures are shown to the last digit in order to provide a comprehensive record of the information collected, they are not necessarily accurate to the last digit shown.

Home Detention Curfews

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were released early under the home detention curfew scheme in each of the last five years; and for which offences those released had been convicted.

David Hanson: Figures on the numbers of prisoners released on home detention curfew from prison establishments in England and Wales between 2001 and 2005 can be found in the following table:
	
		
			  Home detention curfew release( 1)  by offence group( 2) 
			  Offence Group( 1)  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Violence 2,854 3,693 3,564 3,159 3,204 
			 Sexual offences 17 20 8 1 2 
			 Robbery 631 916 1,257 961 901 
			 Burglary 1,072 2,022 2,066 1,677 1,298 
			 Theft and handling 1,771 2,797 2,817 2,629 2,107 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,149 1,262 1,133 1,226 1,287 
			 Drug offences 2,219 2,683 2,782 2,422 2,509 
			 Motoring offences 1,500 3,801 4,158 3,877 3,046 
			 Other(2) 2,464 3,331 3,438 3,343 2,942 
			 (1) Offence recorded on Prison Service IT system. Investigations suggest that around 5 per cent. of offence types recorded on this system do not relate to the offence they were released on HDC for but relate to offences committed after release from prison and before the licence expiry date for their sentence. (2) Includes the offence of bigamy. 
		
	
	The table has been drawn from published figures in annual volumes of Prison Statistics in England and Wales, and Offender Management Caseload Statistics.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Home Detention Curfews: Cambridgeshire

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many individuals normally domiciled in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire have been released early from the prison estate under the Early Release scheme in the 12 months to 31 August; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: It is assumed that the question relates to the End of Custody Licence Scheme which was implemented on 29 June 2007. Information on the domicile of prisoners released under the scheme is not centrally available, would require reference to paper files and could not be provided without disproportionate cost.
	However, the hon. Member's attention is drawn to the website http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/endofcustodylicence.htm from which it is clear that 19 prisoners were released under the scheme from Peterborough prison between 6 and 31 July.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Illegal Broadcasting: Video Recordings

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) convictions there were for the supply of video works to individuals who are under the age of the designated classification in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Wills: Data on the number of prosecutions and convictions under the Video Recording Act 1984, as amended by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, in England and Wales 1996 to 2005 can be found in the table.
	Court proceedings data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
	
		
			  N umber of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Video Recording Act 1984, as amended by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, in England and Wales 1996-2005( 1,2,3,4) 
			   Offence description 
			   Supplying video recording of classified work in breach of classification  Supplying video recording of unclassified work  Persons video recording of unclassified work for the purpose of supply 
			   Prosecuted  Found guilty  Prosecuted  Found guilty  Prosecuted  Found guilty 
			 1996 18 17 67 57 75 61 
			 1997 19 16 65 60 76 69 
			 1998 31 22 31 28 77 75 
			 1999 47 40 80 61 85 61 
			 2000(5) 23 18 79 69 75 73 
			 2001 20 10 67 62 68 68 
			 2002 22 14 62 59 64 62 
			 2003 25 17 44 44 40 31 
			 2004 11 8 42 31 49 43 
			 2005 13 9 28 28 43 37 
		
	
	
		
			   Offence description 
			   Certain video recordings only to be supplied in licensed sex shops  Supply of video recording not complying with requirements as to labels etc  Supply of video recordings containing false indication as to classification 
			   Prosecuted  Found guilty  Prosecuted  Found guilty  Prosecuted  Found guilty 
			 1996 1 1 3 2 2 2 
			 1997  0 0 0 1 1 
			 1998 0 0 1 1 1 1 
			 1999 1 0 3 1 9 0 
			 2000(5) 1 0 8 6 1 1 
			 2001 8 6 4 3 0 0 
			 2002 9 4 0 0 0 0 
			 2003 13 10 0 0 2 0 
			 2004 (6)64 (6)48 1 0 2 2 
			 2005 12 12 2 1 3 2 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Some of the statistics relate to illegal sales but it is not possible to tell whether these were necessarily sales to children. (4) Includes the following statutes and offence description: Video Recording Act 1984, Sec 11 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 88(4). Supplying video recording of classified work in breach of classification. Video Recording Act 1984, Sec 9 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 88. Supplying video recording of unclassified work. Video Recording Act 1984, Sec 10 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 88. Persons video recording of unclassified work for the purpose of supply. Video Recording Act 1984, Sec 12 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 88(5). Certain video recordings only to be supplied in licensed sex shops. Video Recording Act 1984 Sec 13. Supply of video recording not complying with requirements as to labels etc. Video Recording Act 1984, Sec 14 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 88(6). Supply of video recordings containing false indication as to classification. (5) Staffordshire Police Force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. (6) Liverpool Trading Standards prosecuted two large suppliers of videos who were supplying R18 material by mail order; they can only be sold in, not from, licensed sex shops. These prosecutions account for just about all the cases that year.  Source: Court Proceedings Database held by RDS Office for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice

Magistrates: Bail

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to improve the accountability of local magistrates for the decisions which they take in relation to bail applications where the award of bail is followed by further offences whilst on bail.

David Hanson: The court's decision on whether to grant bail or remand a defendant in custody is governed by the Bail Act 1976. The court must decide on each occasion, with all the information before it, if the defendant presents such a bail risk as to warrant custody. This decision is an exercise of judicial discretion and as such is not subject to interference.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to answer the letter to him dated 12 July from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. K. Kerry.

Michael Wills: I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 10 September 2007,  Official Report, column 1994W.

National Offender Management Information System: Procurement

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on commissioning and procuring the C-NOMIS IT system; how much of that total sum has been spent  (a) on outside agencies and consultants and  (b) internally within the Department, broken down by internal divisions, agencies and services within the Department, including the National Offender Management Service, that spent the money; and when C-NOMIS will be operational within the police service.

David Hanson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of 10 September 2007,  Official Report, column 1995W. It was never envisaged that C-NOMIS would be extended to the police service.

Prison Accommodation: Finance

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what resources his Department has made available to cover the cost of new prison places in each of the next seven years.

David Hanson: Estimated capital costs for the 8,000 place programme are around 1.5 billion and new money is being made available to provide an additional 1,500 places. The costs will be subject to further discussions in light of Lord Carter's review and with HM Treasury.

Prison Accommodation: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which sites in Wales have been identified for consideration for future prison expansion.

David Hanson: A number of potential sites in Wales are currently being investigated as possible sites for new prison development. Once the process has been completed the sites with the most potential will be considered and a decision reached. Any final sites selected will be subject to consultation.

Prison Governors: Travel

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidelines apply to the use by prison governors of first class accommodation on the railways; if he will place a copy of those guidelines in the Library; what estimate he has made of the cost to HM Prison Service incurred by prison governors travelling in first class accommodation rather than standard class accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Prison Service travel policy is set out in Prison Service Order 8650. Paragraph 5.2 of this document lists those grades of employees who are entitled to travel first class on official duty. Since its publication the service's grade structure has changed twice, but the qualifying grade level has not altered. Based on the current grade structure managers F and above can travel first class. This incorporates governors and other managerial staff.
	Prison Service official travel is currently paid from one generic budget code relating to all modes and class of transport and all grades of staff. While each individual prison establishment could advise on its total spend, they would not be able to determine the class or grade.

Prison Service: Industrial Disputes

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the net cost to his Department was of industrial action by prison officers on 29 August.

David Hanson: It is at the moment too early to be able to give the net cost of the industrial action by Prison Officers on 29 August as this information is still being collated from across the prison estate.
	I will write to the hon. Gentleman as soon as the net cost of the action has been established.

Prison Service: Manpower

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison officers he expects to be employed in prisons in England and Wales in each of the next seven years.

David Hanson: The total number of prison officers employed in the public sector Prison Service on 31 August 2007 was 25,200. This figure will rise in line with increased capacity within the estate (subject to planning permission for new sites) and will increase prison officer numbers by a total of 1,491 over the next four years. Assuming that the current staffing figure remains broadly constant the projected staffing figures will be as follows by 31 March of each year:
	
		
			   Anticipated total prison officers  Including anticipated new vacancies 
			 2008 25,688 488 
			 2009 26,081 393 
			 2010 26,149 68 
			 2011 26,460 311 
			 2012 26,691 231 
		
	
	Figures shown in the third column of the table show the additional number of prison officers required to open new accommodation in each of the financial years shown. These figures are provisional and may be subject to change. (Prison officer figures include all grades of uniformed officer). The Prison Service has no projected figures for 2012 and beyond.

Prisoners: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners in prisons in England gave their last registered address in Wales.

David Hanson: For January 2007, the latest date information is available, 1,560 prisoners with a registered address in Wales were held in prisons in England.
	Where no home address is listed for a prisoner the committal court is used as a proxy address.

Probation Officers: Manpower

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many probation officers he expects to be employed by the National Offender Management Service in each of the next seven years.

David Hanson: No assessment has yet been made as workforce planning models are currently being reviewed in order to align it to future arrangements.

Reoffenders: Sentencing

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people in England and Wales were sentenced for second serious offences covered by s.2 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 to a sentence of  (a) life imprisonment,  (b) a determinate period of imprisonment and  (c) a non-custodial sentence in each year since 1998;
	(2)  how many people in England and Wales were sentenced for a second class A drug trafficking offence covered by s.3 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 to a sentence of  (a) seven or more years imprisonment,  (b) imprisonment of less than seven years and  (c) a non-custodial sentence in each year since 1998;
	(3)  how many people in England and Wales were sentenced for a third domestic burglary offence covered by s.3 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 to a sentence of  (a) seven or more years imprisonment,  (b) imprisonment of less than seven years and  (c) a non-custodial sentence in each year since 1998.

David Hanson: The data held centrally are not in a format to allow us to answer these questions completely. We are able to answer part  (a) for questions 155207 and 155209, we are unable to answer parts  (b) and  (c) for all three questions. We are able to give the following information, for total number of persons sentenced for:
	(i) life for a second serious offence
	(ii) minimum seven years for a third class A drug trafficking
	(iii) Minimum three years for a third domestic burglary since 2000. Please see as follows (table 2.6 of 'Sentencing Statistics, England and Wales').
	
		
			  Table 2.6: Persons sentenced under the Powers of the Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000, 2000-05England and Wales 
			  Number of persons 
			   Section 109  Section 110  Section 111 
			   Life for second serious offence  Minimum seven years for third class A drug trafficking offence  Minimum three years for third domestic burglary 
			 2000 57 2  
			 2001 51 1 6 
			 2002 44  2 
			 2003 48 3 13 
			 2004 47 4 46 
			 2005 (1)43 3 89 
			 (1) Section 109 was replaced in April 2005 by sentences of imprisonment for public protection. Figures therefore relate to offences committed prior to that date. 
		
	
	Also available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb0307.pdf
	Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile these figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Consequently, although figures are shown to the last digit in order to provide a comprehensive record of the information collected, they are not necessarily accurate to the last digit shown.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Departments: Press

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to which periodicals his Department subscribes.

Anne McGuire: A list of periodicals and newspapers to which DWP subscribes through its Library and Information Service has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Departments: Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by his Department on  (a) staff and  (b) communication training in the last 12 months.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions spent 16 million on staff training from July 2006-June 2007.
	Included within this figure is the cost of training in communication provided to the Department's staff. To separately identify this expenditure would be of a disproportionate cost.

Disabled: Low Incomes

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of households with at least one disabled person that have an income of less than 60 per cent. of the median.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is available in the Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2005-06 (revised), table 3.6 on page 31. This is available in the Library.

Employment: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people gained employment from jobcentre referrals in each London constituency in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people gained employment from jobcentre referrals in each London borough in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.

Employment: Standards

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what means the Government's target of an 80 per cent. employment rate was arrived at; and what research his Department has carried out into the reduction in the number of claimants on  (a) incapacity benefit,  (b) jobseeker's allowance and  (c) lone parent benefit needed to meet the target.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 26 July 2007
	 The long-term aim of an employment rate equivalent to 80 per cent. of the working age population reflects analysis of historic and international labour market performance and an assessment of the potential for further narrowing the employment rate gap between different groups in the labour market and the overall average. It was set in the context of the Government's commitment to extend the opportunity to work to all, the modern definition of full employment, as outlined in our Welfare Reform Green Paper In work, better off Cm7130, published on 18 July 2007.
	The Department's analysis has suggested that realising the 80 per cent. aim will require: a reduction of one million in the number of incapacity benefit claimants; 300,000 more lone parents in employment; and one million more older people in work.

Incapacity Benefit: Beverley and Holderness

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Beverley and Holderness were registered for incapacity benefit in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants in Beverley and Holderness parliamentary constituency 
			  Quarter ending  Number 
			 February 1997 4,000 
			 February 1998 4,000 
			 February 1999 3,500 
			 February 2000 3,200 
			 February 2001 3,280 
			 February 2002 3,240 
			 February 2003 3,290 
			 February 2004 3,330 
			 February 2005 3,400 
			 February 2006 3,430 
			 February 2007 3,320 
			  Notes: 1. February 1997 to February 1999 (inclusive) numbers are uprated to WPLS totals and rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. February 2000 to February 2007 (inclusive) numbers are rounded to the nearest ten. 3. February 1997 to February 1999 (inclusive) numbers are based on a five per cent. sample, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 4. These figures should be used as a guide to the current situation only.  Source: DWP Information Directorate five per cent sample and 100 per cent Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Incapacity Benefit: Finance

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost was of dealing with a single incapacity benefit claimant in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Department accounts for its administrative expenditure by strategic objective as set out in its public service agreements (PSA) and by individual requests for resources (RfRs) as set out in the Departmental Estimates and Accounts, and not by benefit. Information on administrative expenditure by strategic objective is available in the annually published Departmental Report, copies of which are available in the Library.

Jobcentre Plus: Doctors

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many doctors are contracted to Jobcentre Plus to assess incapacity benefit applicants, broken down by each local benefits agency; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Medical services are provided to DWP under contract by Atos Healthcare. Doctors carrying out incapacity benefit assessments are engaged by Atos Healthcare not Jobcentre Plus.
	Atos Healthcare does not keep data on the number of doctors performing incapacity benefit assessments by local benefit office.

Jobcentre Plus: Doctors

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the terms of contract are for doctors contracted to Jobcentre Plus with respect to incapacity benefit assessments; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Medical services are provided to DWP under contract by Atos Healthcare. Doctors carrying out incapacity benefit assessments are engaged by Atos Healthcare not Jobcentre Plus.
	Doctors engaged by Atos Healthcare have a range of contracts, including employed full-time, employed part-time and sessional contracts.

Official Visits: Jobcentres

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job centres he has visited since his appointment; and which job centres he plans to visit before 8 October 2007.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 26 July 2007
	 Since his appointment on 29 June the Secretary of State has visited one Jobcentre Plus office, that visit was on 20 July to Neath Jobcentre Plus office.
	The Secretary of State is keen to visit other offices and services within the DWP network and arrangements are being made.

Pensioners: British Overseas Territories

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners entitled to the UK state pension whose pensions are frozen because they have retired outside the UK live in each of the British Overseas Territories.

Mike O'Brien: The latest available information is in the following table.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Anguilla 153 
			 Ascension Island (1) 
			 British Antarctic Territory (1) 
			 British Indian Ocean Territory (1) 
			 British Virgin Islands 45 
			 Cayman Islands 124 
			 Falkland Islands and dependencies (south Georgia and south Sandwich Islands) 46 
			 Montserrat 129 
			 Pitcairn Island (1) 
			 St. Helena 78 
			 Tristan da Cunha (1) 
			 Turk and Caicos Islands 22 
			 (1) Less than 10  Source: Pensions Strategy Computer System, August 2007

Pensions: Divorce

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provision is afforded to divorcees who, at the age of 60, are unable to claim an enhanced pension based on their ex-husband's national insurance contributions because those husbands are not drawing pensions.

Mike O'Brien: A person who is divorced when they reach state pension age can use their former spouse's national insurance contributions to help boost their basic state pension regardless of the age of the former spouse and whether or not they are drawing a state pension. However, where a person has been divorced more than once before state pension age, only the national insurance record of the last spouse may be used.

Pensions: Females

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how many women aged  (a) 60,  (b) 61,  (c) 62,  (d) 63,  (e) 64,  (f) 65,  (g) 66,  (h) 67,  (i) 68 and  (j) 69 are currently receiving state pensions, based on their own contributions, that are based on a contribution record of between 60 per cent. and 98 per cent.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not available. The following table shows those women who are in receipt of a basic state pension of between 60 per cent. and 98 per cent. as at the September 2006 rate, which was 84.25 per week, either based on their own national insurance record or a combination of their own and their husband's national insurance record. The data are taken from a 5 per cent. extract of the Pension Service Computer System, therefore figures are subject to a clear warning that there is a degree of sampling variation.
	
		
			  Age  Number of females 
			 60 122,100 
			 61 117,200 
			 62 119,000 
			 63 105,300 
			 64 90,600 
			 65 76,000 
			 66 69,700 
			 67 64,300 
			 68 58,100 
			 69 49,900 
			  Notes: 1. Data are taken from a 5 per cent. extract of the Pension Service Computer System, therefore figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall case load from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Figures include cases residing abroad where the rate of state pension would not be uprated each year.  Source: DWP Information Directorate.

Pensions: Females

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons the national insurance contributions of women who have remarried are not fully taken into account in determining their state pensions.

Mike O'Brien: The individual's national insurance record is taken fully into account when determining his or her state pension entitlement.

Pensions: Postal Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pension cheques destined for pensioners living in  (a) Orkney and Shetland,  (b) Scotland and  (c) the UK were posted to the wrong address in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not available.
	The Pension Service makes every effort to issue cheque payments to pensioners at their last verified address. Where cheques do go to an incorrect address, this may be for a variety of reasons, such as the customer moving and inadvertently omitting to let the Pension Service know of their change of address.

Social Security Benefits: Highland Council

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 255W, on social security benefits: Highland council, what information has been gathered by the two postholders; and what evaluation has been carried out of the two posts.

Mike O'Brien: The information gathered by the two postholders is in the following table.
	
		
			  The Highland Council Partnership Fund Project: April 2005 to March 2007 
			  Project activities/outputs  
			  Project activities  
			 Mail shots issued 5,117 
			 Number of claim forms sent out 501 
			 Visits/meetings undertaken 509 
			   
			 Surgeries/presentations held 104 
			 Attendees at surgeries/presentations 1,656 
			   
			 Telephone calls made to clients 772 
			 Telephone calls received from clients 1,086 
			   
			 Benefit checks undertaken 603 
			 Referrals received 404 
			   
			  Project outputs  
			 Pension credit applications made 91 
			 Attendance allowance applications made 66 
			 Disability living allowance applications made 100 
			 Council tax benefit applications made 155 
			 Housing benefit applications made 86 
			 Carer's allowance applications made 43 
			 Total benefit applications 541 
			   
			 Benefit referrals made to the Pension Service 7 
			 Benefit referrals made to other agencies 8 
			   
			 Service referrals made to other agencies 7 
			 Total referrals made 22 
			  Note: The table details work undertaken by Highland council on behalf of the Pension Service.  Source:  Highland Council Management Information Return to the Pension Service. 
		
	
	No specific evaluation was conducted of the two posts within Highland council. However, a full evaluation of the Partnership Fund initiatives has been undertaken, and this report was published on 21 June 2007.
	The evaluation report entitled: Helping Older People Engage With Benefits and Service: An Evaluation of the Partnership Fund does not present information on an individual project basis; this is due to the way it was thematically analysed to ensure anonymity of respondents.

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Responsibilities

Peter Bone: To ask the Prime Minister which Ministers would take lead responsibility for the operation of Government in the event of the Prime Minister's unforeseen incapacity.

Gordon Brown: Appropriate arrangements would be put in place, as has been the practice under successive administrations.

Members: Surveillance

Ben Wallace: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Wilson Doctrine extends to a ban on UK Government departments and agencies instructing/requesting or handling intercept material from a foreign power that relates to  (a) hon. Members and  (b) members of the House of Lords.

Gordon Brown: The Wilson Doctrine applies to all forms of interception that are subject to authorisation by Secretary of State warrant.

Nuclear Weapons

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with President Bush concerning the location of US missile sites in Czech Republic and Poland; and if he will make a statement.

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Prime Minister whether he put proposals to the US president on  (a) implementing the 13 practical steps towards disarmament agreed at the 2000 NPT Review Conference,  (b) ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and  (c) supporting the model Nuclear Weapons Convention during his recent visit; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Price: To ask the Prime Minister whether he and President Bush discussed Israel joining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapons state; and if he will make a statement.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether he put proposals to President Bush on creating a Middle East Nuclear Weapons Free Zone during his recent visit; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he put proposals to President Bush on NATO's  (a) nuclear doctrine,  (b) nuclear sharing agreement and  (c) nuclear first strike policy during his recent visit; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: It is not the practice of the Government to make public details of all discussions with foreign Governments.

Public Participation

Mark Harper: To ask the Prime Minister by what method jurors would be selected for service on a citizens' jury; and how that method would ensure that jurors were representative of their local community.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the press briefing given by my spokesman on 3 September 2007. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website (http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page 13023.asp), and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

USA: Foreign Relations

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Prime Minister whether he plans to invite President George W. Bush to the United Kingdom before the President leaves office.

Gordon Brown: I will continue to have regular discussions with President Bush over the coming months on a wide range of issues.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

AIDS: Medical Treatments

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress his Department has made in ensuring universal access to AIDS treatment for all by 2010.

Shahid Malik: The UK Government are working to ensure universal access to AIDS treatment by 2010 in partnership with the international community, through DFID's bilateral programmes and through our contributions to multilateral organisations.
	DFID's bilateral programmes are helping strengthen health systems in developing countries to roll out anti-retroviral treatment (ART). For example, in Zimbabwe DFID is providing 20 million over four years to increase by at least 50 per cent. the number of people able to access ART. In Malawi, DFID has committed 45 million over five years for testing and counselling, access to ART and other related services.
	The international effort to achieve universal access has helped boost the numbers of people on AIDS treatment in low and middle-income countries from 400,000 in 2003 to more than two million people today.
	DFID has provided 359 million to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria over the 2002-08 period. To date, Global Fund-financed programmes have provided treatment to over 770,000 people living with HIV.
	DFID is also committed to improving access to medicines, including providing 20 million for UNITAID, the new drugs purchase facility, as part of a 20-year commitment, increasing to 60 million per year by 2010 subject to performance. UNITAID has provided several significant grants, including more than $130 million for paediatric and second line ART.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Eric Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support the UK has offered to Congolese nationals recently expelled from Angola.

Gareth Thomas: The UK has provided support to the Congolese nationals expelled from Angola through the pooled humanitarian fund for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to which DFID provided 40 million (approximately 60 per cent. of the funding) in the last financial year. A mission by the United Nations to visit the Congolese nationals in south-eastern DRC found that there was no immediate shortage of food and water but that non-food items, such as mattresses and blankets, were required. As a result, through the pooled fund rapid response mechanism, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) together with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has provided basic non-food assistance. The non-governmental organisation Caritas has also been funded through the pooled fund to provide transport for the Congolese nationals.

Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make it his policy for the UK Government to make a three year contribution of at least 700 million to the Global Fund for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Shahid Malik: We have yet to decide on the precise level of the UK's future engagement with the Global Fund to fight Aids, TB and Malaria. We have to date contributed 359 million to the fund and in terms of pledges made we are its sixth largest donor.
	At the Berlin Replenishment Conference in September and afterwards, we will be looking for evidence of the Global Fund's performance and trajectory, which will inform the UK's decision on future engagement.

Iraq: Asylum

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what reports he has received of Syrian plans to change visa requirements for Iraqi refugees; what assessment he has made of the impact this will have on Iraqi refugees in the region; what discussions he has had with Syrian counterparts about these plans; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of refugees from Iraq in  (a) Syria,  (b) Jordan,  (c) Egypt,  (d) Saudi Arabia,  (e) Turkey,  (f) Lebanon and  (g) Iran; what financial assistance the Government gave to these countries for the purpose of addressing the humanitarian needs of those refugees in each year since March 2003; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what financial assistance the Government provided to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees for the purpose of addressing the problem of Iraqi refugees in each year since March 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: We are very concerned about the humanitarian situation in Iraq and the increasing numbers of people who have been displaced due to the ongoing violence. The UN estimates that there are currently around 2 million internally displaced people in Iraq and another 2 million Iraqis externally displaced in the region.
	According to UN estimates, the number of Iraqi refugees per country is as follows:
	
		
			  Country  Number of Iraqi refugees 
			 Syria 1.2-1.4 million 
			 Jordan 500,000-600,000 
			 Egypt 20,000-40,000 
			 GCC countries (including Saudi Arabia) Over 200,000 
			 Turkey 5,000-10,000 
			 Lebanon 20,000-30,000 
			 Iran Over 54,000 
		
	
	We are continuing to play our part in ensuring that immediate needs are met. The UK has not provided any bilateral support to these Governments for assisting Iraqi refugees. Instead, we have supported internationally mandated humanitarian organisations as the best means to support and protect vulnerable Iraqi groups. So far this year, DFID has contributed 10 million to support humanitarian agencies working in Iraq and the region, and we are considering further support. Since 2003, we have contributed over 125 million for humanitarian assistance for Iraq, of which 3.25 million has been to the UNHCR (1.75 million in 2003 and 1.5 million in 2007).
	We are grateful for the considerable hospitality Syria and other countries in the region have shown by accommodating large numbers of people fleeing the violence in Iraq. However, we are concerned about the Syrian Government's recent announcement regarding the introduction of new visa requirements for Iraqis wanting to come to the country. The UNHCR is seeking clarification on what this will entail for Iraqis already residing in Syria and those wishing to cross into Syria in the future, and we await the outcome of UNHCR's discussions with the Government of Syria.

Overseas Aid: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which islands have received relief from the UK following Hurricane Felix.

Shahid Malik: DFID has assessed that the Caribbean islands affected by Hurricane Felix do not need humanitarian assistance from the UK.
	Hurricane Felix caused minimal damage in the Caribbean islands and no loss of life. Some homes were flooded on the Dutch islands of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire in the southern Caribbean. The hurricane also caused some tree damage and scattered power outages. In Aruba there was also little visible damage although there was a temporary power outage in a northern town.
	DFID has also been monitoring the effect of Hurricane Felix on the central American mainland.
	In Nicaragua approximately 60,000 people have been affected by the hurricane along the north-eastern coast. The government of Nicaragua and a UN disaster management team have mobilised five teams of humanitarian experts to carry out rapid needs assessments of the damage. The Nicaraguan Ministries of Health and Education, the Red Cross, the Nicaraguan Civil Defence, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) have begun relief efforts.
	DFID is assessing the situation in Honduras. There has been heavy rainfall which may cause flash flooding and landslides.

Overseas Aid: Standards

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which of the indicators for the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness his Department is not on target for; when he expects his Department to meet those targets; and by what means.

Douglas Alexander: The 2006 OECD-DAC survey results showed that DFID has either already met or is on target to meet all the Paris Declaration targets at a corporate level by the 2010 deadline. When analysed at country level however, performance is more variable. Key areas where DFID will need to make improvements are:
	(i) Reporting aid on budget;
	(ii) Predictability; and
	(iii) Use of programme-based approaches.
	The DAC survey results and our own internal analysis have been used to update our UK DFID medium-term action plan on aid effectiveness. This includes actions across the organisation to improve aid effectiveness at country level, corporately and through our role as shareholders in the multi lateral organisations.

Overseas Aid: Standards

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress his Department has made towards the target of spending 90 per cent. of aid on the poorest countries; and what percentage of UK aid goes to the poorest countries.

Douglas Alexander: DFID has met the target: 90 per cent. of DFID expenditure in 2006-07 was in low-income countries.

Overseas Aid: Standards

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress his Department has made towards the target of allocating 50 per cent. of UK bilateral aid to developing countries for public services; and what percentage of bilateral aid is allocated for  (a) health,  (b) education,  (c) sanitation and  (d) water.

Douglas Alexander: Provisional estimates for 2006-07 are that 49 per cent. of DFID bilateral expenditure (excluding humanitarian assistance) was spent on public servicesa rise of five percentage points on the previous year. The breakdown for the sectors mentioned is as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Health 25.0 
			 Education 18.9 
			 Sanitation 0.8 
			 Water 1.5

HOME DEPARTMENT

Cycling: Fines

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were fined for carrying more than one person on a bicycle not constructed or adapted for that purpose in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Wills: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested, for the years 1996 to 2005, is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Persons( 1)  fined for offences of carrying more than one person on a bicycle, England and Wales, 1996 to 2005 
			  Offence  Statute  Year  Number of persons fined 
			 Carrying more than one person on a bicycle not constructed or adapted to carry more than one person Road Traffic Act 1 988, s.24 1996 7 
			   1997 10 
			   1998 7 
			   1999 1 
			   2000 6 
			   2001 2 
			   2002 4 
			   2003 3 
			   2004 4 
			   2005 5 
			 (1) Principal offence basis.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Ministry of Justice

Departments: Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many press officers are employed by her Department.

Liam Byrne: Press officers within the central Home Office are employed at the Information Officer (IO) and Senior Information Officer (SIO) grades. As at April 2007 the Department employed 38 full time press officers and one part time press officer.

Departments: Press

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to which periodicals her Department subscribes.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office as a Department including its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies subscribe to a wide range of publications to inform its work. Individual business areas use their own budgets to make purchases under framework contracts managed by the Home Office Library. The publications are:
	 Title
	NetIncluding Free CD ROM
	Architects Journal
	ASLIB Corporate Membershipinclude Library Hi Tech News and Managing Inform and Electr Library
	ASLIB Proceedings New Information Perspectives
	AUSAF
	Accountancy
	AddictionPrint and PremiumInternet
	Africa Research BulletinSeries A Political SeriesPrint and StandardInternet
	Alcohol Alert
	Alcohol and AlcoholismPrint and Internet
	American Criminal Law Review
	Archbold Criminal Appeal Cases Index
	Archbold Full Print ServiceIncluding Archbold News and Supplements and Criminal Pleadings
	 Big Issue
	 Birmingham Post
	British Journal of Community Justice
	British Journal of CriminologyAn International Review of Crime and SocietyPrint and Internet
	British Journal of SociologyPrint and PremiumInternet
	British National BibliographyOption 5Weekly Lists
	Building
	CJMCriminal Justice MattersPrint and PDFE-Mail
	Campaign
	Chat
	Childright
	Community Care
	Competition Law Insight
	Computer Active
	Computer Weekly
	Contemporary Drug Problems
	Contemporary Justice Review
	Corrections Compendium
	Corrections Digest
	CounselJournal of the Bar of England and Wales
	Crime Law and Social Change
	Crime Prevention and Community SafetyPrint and Internet
	Crime and DelinquencyPrint and Internet
	Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health
	Criminal Justice and BehaviourPrint and Internet
	Criminal Law Journal
	Criminal Law Review
	Criminal Law WeekInternet
	Criminology and Criminology and Public PolicyBoth Print and PremiumInternet
	Criminology and Criminal JusticeInternet
	 Daily Express
	Daily Jang
	 Daily Mail
	 Daily Mirror
	 Daily Star
	 Daily Telegraph
	Deviant Behaviour
	Druglink
	DrugsEducation Prevention and Policy
	 Eastern Eye
	 EconomistUK Edition and Index
	Equal Opportunities Review
	Estates Gazette
	Ethnic and Racial Studies
	European Human Rights Law Review
	European Human Rights Reports
	European Journal On Criminal Policy and Research
	European Journal of Crime Criminal Law and Criminal JusticePrint and Internet
	European Journal of CriminologyPrint and Internet
	European Journal of Migration and LawPrint and Internet
	 Evening Standard
	Evidence Technology Magazine
	 Financial Times
	Gatelodge
	Harvard Business Review
	House Magazine and Blue Pages and Disability Dialogue
	Howard Journal of Criminal JusticePrint and StandardInternet
	Howard League for Penal ReformMembership
	Human Resource Management JournalPrint and PremiumInternet
	 Independent
	 Independent on Sunday
	Index to the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers on CD ROMCD ROM
	Information Age
	Information World Review
	Inside KnowledgePrint and Internet
	 International Herald Tribune
	International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice
	International Journal of Drug Policy
	International Journal of Law and Psychiatry
	International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyPrint and Internet
	International Journal of Police Science and Management
	International MigrationPrint and PremiumInternet
	International Migration ReviewPrint and PremiumInternet
	 Jewish Chronicle
	Journal of Criminal Justice
	Journal of Criminal Law
	Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
	Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
	Journal of Experimental Criminology
	Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology
	Journal of Forensic SciencesPrint and PremiumInternet
	Journal of Interpersonal ViolencePrint and Internet
	Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling
	Journal of Law and Society and Socio Legal NewsletterPrint and PremiumInternet
	Journal of Offender RehabilitationPrint and Internet
	Journal of Research in Crime and DelinquencyPrint and Internet
	Journal of Social Welfare and Family LawPrint and Annual Bound Cumulation
	Justice Journal
	Justice of the Peace and Reports
	Law and Society ReviewPrint and PremiumInternet
	Legal ActionLegal Action Group
	Legal and Criminological Psychology
	Liberty
	Local Government Chronicle
	 Mail on Sunday
	Management Today
	Marie Claire
	Marketing
	Marketing Week
	Migration News Sheet
	Modern Law ReviewPrint and PremiumInternet
	Municipal Journal
	National Acquisitions Group Newsletter
	New Action
	New Law Journal and Supplements
	New Nation
	 New ScientistUK Edition
	 New Statesman
	 New York Times
	 News of the World
	OAG Flight GuideWorldwideMonthly Subscription
	OAG Rail Guide
	 Observer
	P R Week
	Parliamentary AffairsPrint and Internet
	People Management
	Pink Paper
	PoliceVoice of the Service
	Police Journal
	Police Practice and Research
	Police QuarterlyComplete Backfile LeaseInternet
	Police Research and Management
	Police Review
	Police and Constabulary Almanac
	Policingan International Journal of Police Strategies and Management
	Policing Today
	Policing and Society
	Policy StudiesPolicy Studies Institute
	Press Gazette
	Prison JournalPrint and Internet
	Prison Report
	Prison Service Journal
	 Private Eye
	Probation JournalPrint and Internet
	Project Manager Today
	Property Week
	Prospect
	Psychological Services
	Psychology Crime and Law
	Public Servant
	Punishment and Society Print and Internet
	Race and ClassPrint and Internet
	 Radio Times
	Refugee Survey QuarterlyPrint and Internet
	Road Traffic Reports
	Runnymede's Quarterly Bulletin
	Safer Society Mailing
	Science in Parliament
	Searchlight
	Security JournalPrint and Internet
	Shaw's Directory of Courts in the United Kingdom
	Sikh Times
	Social Justice
	Social Policy and Society and Journal of Social Policy
	Social and Legal StudiesPrint and Internet
	SociologyPrint and Internet
	 Spectator
	Statewatch
	Studies in Conflict and Terrorism
	 Sun
	 Sunday Mirror
	 Sunday People
	 Sunday Star
	 Sunday Telegraph
	 Sunday Times
	Take a Break
	Terrorism and Political Violence
	Theoretical CriminologyPrint and Internet
	Therapeutic Communities
	Time
	Times
	Times Educational Supplement
	Tips and Advice Internet
	Tottel's Journal of Immigration Asylum and Nationality Law
	Tribune
	VineVery Informal Newsletter
	Violence Against WomenComplete Backfile LeaseInternet
	VistaPerspectives on Probation
	Voice
	When Saturday Comes
	Which
	Whitehall and Westminster World
	WireAmnesty International and Annual Report
	Woman
	Woman's Own
	Women and Criminal JusticePrint and Internet
	Youth JusticeJournal of the National Association for Youth JusticePrint and Internet

Departments: Taxis

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by her Department on taxis in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office spend on taxis for financial year 2006-07 was 962,533.
	The aforementioned figure includes expenditure by the core Home Office, the Border and Immigration Agency, the National Offender Management Service and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform (the latter two are now part of the Ministry of Justice).
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management and Ministerial Codes. The majority of expenditure, 666,440, was incurred by the Border and Immigration Agency on operational activities.

Departments: Tribunals

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by her Department on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office does not maintain a central record of costs incurred in contesting employment tribunals (formerly industrial tribunals). The information required could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Firearms

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal guns have been seized or otherwise received by police forces since 1997, broken down by police authority area.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 10 September 2007
	The information requested is not held centrally.

Firearms: Legislation

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward amendments to firearms legislation to allow potential Olympic competitors in shooting events to train in advance of the 2008 and 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 10 September 2007
	I have no plans to amend the legislation in this way. I am currently considering proposals to use the existing powers in section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 to allow a small number of potential Olympic pistol shooters to practise in Great Britain ahead of the Games.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that the trafficking of human beings is recognised as a separate and distinct category for the compilation of crime statistics.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 10 September 2007
	Crime statistics for trafficking for sexual exploitation under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 are already complied and published in the Crime in England and Wales yearly publication.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that the tackling of human trafficking is included in the immigration services business plan.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 10 September 2007
	The tackling of organised immigration crime, including trafficking, is included in the Enforcement and Compliance Strategy and Border and Immigration Agency's International Strategy published in March 2007 and June 2007 respectively.

Immigration Controls: Health Professions

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the conclusions of the race equality impact assessment into the changes in the immigration rules for postgraduate doctors and dentists will be taken into account when reviewing any future rule changes in this area.

Jacqui Smith: Home Office internal guidance states that anticipating and identifying the potential equality consequences of any policies (including significant rules changes), and ensuring that as far as possible any potential negative consequences are minimised or eliminated should be part of the normal policy making process. We have adopted a best practice approach so, as well as fulfilling the legal requirement to equality assess for race, disability and gender, we consider the impact of policies on all equality strands e.g. gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, and age. Equality assessments draw on previous assessments and other evidence as appropriate.

Immigration Controls: Health Professions

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether consultation with overseas doctors will take place before any future changes in immigration rules relating to opportunities for overseas doctors within the NHS.

Jacqui Smith: In deciding whether to consult on specific immigration rules changes in the future, the Home Office will act entirely in accordance with the Cabinet Office's Code of Practice on Consultation, which makes it clear that Ministers have discretion on whether or not to conduct a formal written consultation exercise on particular proposals.
	Notwithstanding this point we are mindful of the concern expressed by a number of organisations regarding the changes to Immigration rules announced in April 2006, by the then Leader of the House, 19 April 2007,  Official Report, columns 447-48, who undertook to hold a Government debate on this subject as and when parliamentary time allows.

James Dawute

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the police investigation into the actions of James Dawute while at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate has concluded.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 24 July 2007
	 Mr. Dawute's conduct while an employee of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate was totally unacceptable. As a result of his actions, Mr. Dawute has had his employment terminated.
	The question of criminal proceedings is a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service.

Offensive Weapons

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal knives were seized or otherwise received by police forces in each year since 1997, broken down by police authority area.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 10 September 2007
	This information is not collected centrally.

Offensive Weapons: Cambridgeshire

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many knife-related crimes were recorded in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire in each year since 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: From the information collected on recorded crime, it is not possible to identify those offences which are knife related. Such offences are not specifically defined by statute and details of the individual circumstances of offences do not feature in the recorded crime statistics.
	Figures are collected for homicides involving the use of sharp instruments but they do not separate identify knife-related offences. As from April 2007, police forces are providing data on serious violence involving knives. Home Office statisticians will assess the quality of the data and it is planned that figures for 2007-08 will be published in the main crime bulletin in July 2008.

Police: Finance

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what total amount of funding was provided for each police authority in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2002 and  (c) 2007.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	The amounts include Government general formula grant, specific grants, capital grant and local funding raised through the police precept on council tax.
	
		
			  Total funding for police authorities in England and Wales 
			   million 
			  Police authority  1997-98  2002-03  2007-08 
			 Avon and Somerset 163.9 210.1 286.7 
			 Bedfordshire 61.8 80.5 103.8 
			 Cambridgeshire 70.2 96.6 128.3 
			 Cheshire 104.1 133.1 179.0 
			 Cleveland 77.2 103.6 134.5 
			 Cumbria 61.0 78.2 108.1 
			 Derbyshire 100.0 131.3 169.3 
			 Devon and Cornwall 162.0 214.8 290.6 
			 Dorset 72.1 93.6 126.6 
			 Durham 74.9 95.7 132.3 
			 Essex 162.7 215.4 275.3 
			 Gloucestershire 61.7 80.0 112.2 
			 Hampshire 184.8 241.0 317.3 
			 Hertfordshire 95.3 141.2 187.2 
			 Humberside 110.3 138.9 187.7 
			 Kent 177.8 229.7 310.6 
			 Lancashire 172.0 217.0 292.1 
			 Leicestershire 99.8 130.4 172.0 
			 Lincolnshire 67.5 85.9 110.1 
			 Norfolk 83.5 113.0 154.6 
			 Northamptonshire 66.2 86.6 120.6 
			 North Yorkshire 75.5 102.6 143.4 
			 Nottinghamshire 124.4 157.9 200.0 
			 Staffordshire 118.2 144.8 193.1 
			 Suffolk 65.0 87.2 117.3 
			 Surrey 93.9 139.1 197.6 
			 Sussex 161.4 205.6 274.6 
			 Thames Valley 216.7 282.5 388.6 
			 Warwickshire 52.5 70.5 92.2 
			 West Mercia 111.3 155.3 206.1 
			 Wiltshire 65.4 83.9 109.9 
			 Shires 3,311.6 4,344.5 5,820.3 
			 
			 Greater Manchester 363.0 445.3 596.8 
			 Merseyside 241.3 294.3 367.4 
			 Northumbria 202.7 237.1 309.3 
			 South Yorkshire 164.9 205.6 267.6 
			 West Midlands 363.9 444.7 591.1 
			 West Yorkshire 275.5 350.7 451.1 
			 Prov Mets 1,611.1 1,977.5 2,583.1 
			 
			 Metropolitan 1,769.4 2,291.7 3,123.2 
			 
			 Total England 6,692.0 8,613.6 11,526.6 
			 
			 Dyfed-Powys 50.9 71.4 97.1 
			 Gwent 66.0 89.9 120.4 
			 North Wales 73.7 102.5 145.5 
			 South Wales 161.8 206.0 266.7 
			 Total Wales 352.2 469.7 629.5 
			 
			 Total England and Wales 7,044.2 9,083.2 12,156.0 
			  Notes: 1. Excludes City of London Police. 2. Total funding is made up of government general formula grant, specific grants, capital grant and local funding raised through the police precept on council tax.

Police: Finance

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to announce the 2008-09 funding settlement for police authorities.

Tony McNulty: I expect the announcement to take place with the Local Government Finance Provisional Settlement in late November/early December.

Work Permits: Health Professions

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permit applications for foreign  (a) nurses and  (b) doctors from each country in North Africa and the Middle East for which figures are available were approved in each year in the period between 1 January 2000 and 31st May 2007.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 9 July 2007
	The following tables show the number of work permit applications by nurses and doctors which were approved for overseas nationals by country, in the period 1 January 2000 to 31 May 2007 from  (a) North Africa and  (b) the Middle East.
	
		
			   2000  2001  2002  2003 
			   Doctor  Nurse  Total  Doctor  Nurse  Total  Doctor  Nurse  Total  Doctor  Nurse  Total 
			  North Africa 
			 Algeria 0 (1) (1) (1) (1) 5 0 5 5 0 (1) (1) 
			 Egypt 20 (1) 20 100 5 105 115 5 120 115 0 115 
			 Ethiopia 0 (1) (1) 0 (1) (1) 0 5 5 0 5 5 
			 Libya 20 (1) 20 35 5 40 55 (1) 55 60 0 60 
			 Mauritania 0 (1) (1) 0 (1) (1) 0 0 0 0 (1) (1) 
			 Morocco 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) (1) 
			 Niger 0 (1) (1) 0 (1) (1) 0 0 0 0 (1) (1) 
			 Somalia 0 0 0 0 (1) (1) (1) 5 5 0 5 5 
			 Sudan 15 5 20 20 5 25 35 5 35 45 5 50 
			 Tunisia 0 0 0 0 (1) (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 50 10 65 160 20 180 205 25 230 225 20 240 
			  
			  Middle East 
			 Afghanistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) (1) 0 0 0 
			 Bahrain (1) (1) (1) (1) 0 (1) 5 (1) 5 (1) 0 (1) 
			 Brunei (1) 0 (1) 0 (1) (1) 0 0 0 (1) (1) (1) 
			 Iran 0 5 5 5 10 15 10 5 15 20 15 35 
			 Iraq 5 0 5 5 0 5 10 0 10 25 0 25 
			 Israel 0 (1) (1) (1) 5 5 (1) 5 10 5 5 10 
			 Jordan 0 80 80 5 55 55 10 65 75 20 50 70 
			 Kuwait 0 0 0 (1) 0 (1) (1) 0 (1) 0 0 0 
			 Lebanon 5 0 5 5 (1) 5 (1) 0 (1) 5 5 5 
			 Oman 0 0 0 (1) 0 (1) (1) 0 (1) 0 (1) (1) 
			 Palestine 0 5 5 5 5 5 5 (1) 5 5 10 15 
			 Palestinian Aut 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) (1) 
			 Qatar 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 0 0 
			 Saudi Arabia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) (1) 
			 Syrian Arab Rep 5 5 5 25 5 30 30 5 35 55 0 55 
			 Turkey 0 10 10 (1) 10 10 (1) 10 15 5 10 10 
			 United Arab Emi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) (1) (1) 0 (1) 
			 Yemen Republic 0 0 0 5 (1) 5 0 0 0 0 (1) (1) 
			 Total 10 100 110 55 90 145 75 105 160 135 95 235 
			  
			 Total 65 110 175 215 110 325 280 125 405 360 115 475 
		
	
	
		
			   2004  2005  2006  January-May 2007  
			   Doctor  Nurse  Total  Doctor  Nurse  Total  Doctor  Nurse  Total  Doctor  Nurse  Total  Total 
			  North Africa  
			 Algeria 0 (1) (1) 0 (1) (1) (1) 0 (1) 0 0 0 10 
			 Egypt 120 5 125 85 (1) 85 85 0 85 15 0 15 675 
			 Ethiopia (1) 5 5 0 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 0 (1) 25 
			 Libya 45 (1) 50 50 (1) 55 30 0 30 5 0 5 310 
			 Mauritania 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Morocco 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) (1) 0 0 0 (1) 
			 Niger 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) (1) 0 0 0 5 
			 Somalia 0 5 5 (1) 5 5 (1) 5 5 0 0 0 30 
			 Sudan 45 5 50 35 (1) 35 30 0 30 10 0 10 250 
			 Tunisia 0 0 0 0 (1) (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Total 215 20 235 170 15 190 150 10 160 30 0 30 1,315 
			   
			  Middle East  
			 Afghanistan 5 0 5 (1) 0 (1) 5 (1) 5 (1) 0 (1) 15 
			 Bahrain (1) 0 (1) 0 0 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 0 0 10 
			 Brunei (1) (1) (1) 5 0 5 5 (1) 10 (1) 0 (1) 20 
			 Iran 40 20 60 40 15 55 55 5 60 5 5 10 255 
			 Iraq 15 0 15 25 (1) 25 30 0 30 0 0 5 120 
			 Israel 5 (1) 5 5 10 10 (1) 5 5 (1) (1) 5 55 
			 Jordan 30 30 55 30 25 50 30 5 35 5 (1) 5 430 
			 Kuwait (1) 0 (1) (1) 5 5 (1) 0 (1) 0 0 0 10 
			 Lebanon 5 5 10 10 (1) 10 10 5 15 (1) (1) (1) 55 
			 Oman 0 (1) (1) (1) 0 (1) (1)  (1) (1)  (1) 10 
			 Palestine 15 10 25 10 5 10 10 (1) 15 (1) 0 (1) 80 
			 Palestinian Aut 0 (1) (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Qatar 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 0 0 1 
			 Saudi Arabia (1) (1) (1) (1) 0 (1) (1) 0 (1) (1) (1) (1) 0 
			 Syrian Arab Rep 55 0 55 55 0 55 40 0 40 10 0 10 286 
			 Turkey 5 10 15 5 5 10 5 5 10 (1) 0 (1) 75 
			 United Arab Emi 0 (1) (1) (1) 0 (1) (1) 0 (1) (1) 0 (1) 10 
			 Yemen Republic (1) (1) (1) (1) 0 (1) (1) 0 (1) 0 0 0 10 
			 Total 185 75 260 185 60 250 2,001 25 225 35 5 40 1,445 
			   
			 Total 400 95 495 355 75 430 350 35 385 80 5 70 2,760 
			 (1) Indicates 1 or 2  Notes : 1. Figures are rounded to nearest 5 2. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown 
		
	
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Bellwin Scheme

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have notified her Department of their intention to apply for Bellwin scheme funding following the recent floods.

John Healey: pursuant to the reply, 3 September 2007, Official Report, c. 1637-38W
	The following authorities had notified an intention to claim for the flooding events in June by the closing date of 31 July:
	Amber Valley Borough Council
	Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
	Bassetlaw District Council
	Bolsover District Council
	Bridgnorth District Council
	Chesterfield Borough Council
	Derbyshire County Council
	Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
	Derbyshire Dales District Council
	Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
	East Riding of Yorkshire Council
	East Lindsey District Council
	Erewash Borough Council
	Gedling Borough Council
	Gloucestershire County Council
	Harrogate Borough Council
	Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue
	High Peak Borough Council
	Humberside Fire and Rescue Service
	Humberside Police Authority
	Kingston upon Hull City Council
	Leeds City Council
	Lichfield District Council
	Lincoln City Council
	Lincolnshire County Council
	Newark and Sherwood District Council
	North East Derbyshire District Council
	North East Lincolnshire Council
	North Lincolnshire
	North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority
	Nottinghamshire County Council
	Pendle Borough Council
	Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
	Scarborough Borough Council
	Sheffield City Council
	Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council
	Shropshire County Council
	Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service
	South Shropshire District Council
	South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority
	South Yorkshire Police Authority
	Stafford Borough Council
	Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service
	Warwick District Council
	Wakefield Metropolitan District Council
	West Mercia Police Authority
	West Lindsey District Council
	West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority
	Worcestershire County Council
	Wyre Forest District Council
	Authorities have until the end of August to notify incidents occurring in July. To date the following authorities have done so:
	Aylesbury Vale District Council
	Boston Borough Council
	Bridgnorth District Council
	Buckinghamshire County Council
	Cheltenham Borough Council
	Cherwell District Council
	Cotswold District Council
	Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
	East Lindsey District Council
	East Riding of Yorkshire
	Forest of Dean District Council
	Gedling Borough Council
	Gloucester City Council
	Gloucestershire County Council
	Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue
	Herefordshire District Council
	High Peak Borough Council
	Lichfield District Council
	Lincolnshire County Council
	London Borough of Sutton
	Malvern Hills District Council
	Nottinghamshire County Council
	Oxfordshire County Council
	Oxford City Council
	Reading Borough Council
	Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
	Scarborough Borough Council
	Shropshire County Council
	Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council
	South Shropshire District Council
	Stroud District Council
	Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service
	Stratford-on-Avon District Council
	Telford and Wrekin Borough Council
	Tewkesbury Borough Council
	Vale of White Horse District Council
	Warwick District Council
	Warwickshire County Council
	West Berkshire Council
	West Mercia Police Authority
	West Oxfordshire District Council
	Woking Borough Council
	Wokingham Borough Council
	Worcester City Council
	Worcestershire County Council
	Wychavon District Council
	Wycombe District Council
	Wyre Forest District Council

Council Tax

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much council tax was raised in the last year for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: The council tax received by local authorities in England in 2006-07 was 19,315 million. This figure excludes amounts funded by council tax benefit and includes both arrears received for previous years and prepayment of council tax for subsequent years.
	The data are as reported on QRC4 forms submitted by billing authorities to the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Council Tax: Administration

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost was of administering the council tax system in the latest year for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: Net current expenditure by local authorities in England on administering the council tax system for 2005-06 is tabled as follows.
	
		
			  Cost of administering   million 
			 Council tax collection 330.1 
			 Council tax benefits 273.4 
			 Total 603.6 
		
	
	The data are as reported by local authorities on Revenue Outturn (RO) returns for 2005-06.
	Net current expenditure is defined as gross expenditure on employees and running expenses, less income from sales, fees and charges, and 'other income'.
	The cost of council tax collection includes any costs relating to collection of arrears of council tax and community charge.

Council Tax: Pensioners

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment she has made of the impact of council tax on pensioners.

Parmjit Dhanda: Keeping council tax under control, in the interests of all taxpayers, is a priority for the Government. Government grant to councils in England since 1997 has increased on a like for like basis by 39 per cent. in real terms up to 2007-08, and it has taken capping action against excessive council tax increases. This has helped bring the average band D (two adult) council tax increase down from almost 13 per cent. in 2003-04 to 4.2 per cent in 2007-08.
	As Sir Michael Lyons' recent report on local government recognises, council tax benefit is the key to tackling the perceived unfairness of council tax towards all those on low incomes. The Government are working hard to improve take up and has done a great deal to improve pensioner incomes, spending around 11.5 billion more on pensioners in 2007-08 than if 1997 policies had continued.

Departments: Departmental Coordination

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) ministerial committees and  (b) permanent groups involving senior civil servants have been set up by her Department to liaise with the Ministers for Women.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government sits on numerous ministerial committees, including a number of committees with the Minister for Women and Equality. A list of committees and the ministerial membership is available on the Cabinet Office website:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/secretariats/committees/index.asp.
	In addition, the Government Equalities Office, who support the Minister for Women and Equality, are represented on the following CLG senior civil servant-led groups:
	the Community Empowerment Programme Board; and
	Race and Cohesion Strategy Board.

Departments: Public Bodies

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's legal, constitutional and management responsibilities are for  (a) each of its non-departmental public bodies,  (b) each of its executive agencies and  (c) the Government Offices for the English Regions.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department sponsors 13 executive NDPBs/public corporations. Each has a legal status distinct from the Department. Such bodies are led by a chair and board members normally appointed by Ministers in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments' guidance, and are managed by a chief executive. Ultimately, Ministers and the Department are accountable for these bodies. Hence the Department has put in place proportionate sponsorship arrangements for each in accordance with guidance provided by the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and others.
	The Department sponsors three executive agencies: the Fire Service College, the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) and the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre. Each was established by way of administrative action, hence they are not legally separate entities from the Department. The college and the centre were both granted trading fund status by way of Trading Fund Orders; PINS is vote-funded. Each agency has a chief executive and management board, including non-executive directors, reporting directly to Ministers.
	The Government offices were also established by administrative action by bringing together in 1994 the existing regional offices of the then Departments of the Environment, Transport, Trade and Industry and Employment. Subsequently, the Home Office, DEFRA and DCMS also joined the network as sponsor Departments.
	The Government offices are hence not legally separate entities from those sponsor Departments, who each contribute staff and provide funding to them. Following the Cabinet Office's Performance and Innovation Unit's Report, 'Reaching Out', it was decided that the Deputy Prime Minister should take overall responsibility for the day-to-day management of the Government office network on behalf of the Secretaries of State of all the sponsor Departments. This responsibility has now passed to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Departments: Public Bodies

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers her Department has with regard to each of its non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies and the Government offices for the English regions to  (a) grant and withdraw delegated personnel responsibilities,  (b) oversee and control the exercise of delegated personnel responsibilities (including those for pay) and  (c) ensure compliance with all equality legislation.

Parmjit Dhanda: For the Department's executive NDPBs and executive agencies, delegated personnel responsibilities were granted either in founding legislation or in framework documents approved by Ministers setting out roles and responsibilities. While Ministers ultimately have the right to withdraw delegated personnel responsibilities, as these entities were established to operate at arm's-length of Ministers and the core Department there would be little justification for doing so. Ministers oversee and control the exercise of delegated personnel responsibilities for such bodies by having right of approval over staff terms and conditions, pay and grading proposals and annual pay remits, delegated by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Equalities legislation applies to such bodies in the same way that it does to any other public body, and they are obliged to comply as appropriate.
	The Secretary of State has been formally delegated responsibility to determine the terms and conditions of staff in the Government offices for the regions outside the senior civil service, including their remuneration, by the Minister for the Civil Service in accordance with the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992. She exercises this responsibility in the same manner as she does for other staff in her Department.

East of England Development Agency: Publications

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) quarterly and  (b) annual cost was of producing and distributing the East of England Development Agency magazine Source in the latest period for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: EEDA produce four editions a year at approximate costs rounded up of 12,000 per edition.
	For July 2006 to March 2007 (four editions) the cost for design, print and distribution was 47,857.63.

Flood Control: Expenditure

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much of the 14 million relief package promised by the Prime Minister for those areas affected by the recent flooding has so far been dispensed, broken down by recipient; and for what purpose each recipient received money.

Parmjit Dhanda: On 7 July the Prime Minister announced a 14 million package of immediate support to help local authorities and communities in flood hit areas.
	The package comprises of three elements:
	10 million Flood Recovery Grant scheme from Communities and Local Government for the hardest hit local authorities in flood affected areas;
	3 million from Department for Transport to meet claims from local authorities for help with the cost of repairing roads and bridges; and
	1 million which can be drawn on as contingency reserve by the Department for Work and Pensions for use by Jobcentre Plus to support additional demand for Social Fund Community Care Grants.
	10 million in Flood Recovery Grant has already been released to local authorities affected by the June Floods to support their work in helping those in greatest and most immediate need get back on their feet. Thirty nine authorities in total received a payment under the June scheme (full details on the grant paid is available on the CLG website www.communities. gov.uk/floodrecovery). Local authorities have been awarded this grant on the basis of the relative number of households affected (based on available information at the time). It is up to the local authorities to spend the money how they wish in line with local priorities.
	The Department for Transport (DFT) has appointed consultants who will work with authorities and advise on the preparation of claims for emergency capital funding support for repairs to bridges and roads. Some work will require detailed assessments to be carried out, which are likely to take authorities a short while. Consequently, no money has yet been distributed. Initial estimates for the local authorities affected by the June and July floods have been requested by 17 September 2007. However authorities are encouraged not to delay urgent remedial work. The cost of repairs will not be excluded from consideration because they proceeded a claim.
	As of 7 September, the Department for Work and Pensions had paid Community Care Grants totalling 653,000 to people on qualifying benefits to meet the cost of replacing essential household items. Community Care Grants are non repayable grants to help to support vulnerable people living in the community. For example they can help people remain in the community rather than enter care or to ease exceptional pressures on families. An applicant must be in receipt of income support, income based job seekers allowance or pension credit.
	
		
			  Community Care Grantas of 7 September 2007 
			  Region  Number of applications  Number of payments made  Total cost () 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 1,562 1,112 631,377.87 
			 South East 18 13 7,705.69 
			 South West 42 32 13,842.97 
			 Total 1,622 1,157 652,926.53

Home Information Packs

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's latest estimate is of the number of fully trained and accredited  (a) home inspectors and  (b) domestic energy assessors in the South West Government Office Region; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her latest estimate is of the number of qualified and accredited  (a) domestic energy assessors and  (b) home inspectors.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Members to the dedicated home information packs website for the most recently published national numbers of accredited assessors, together with a regional breakdown:
	http://www.homeinformationpacks.gov.uk/industry/163_Assessorinspectornums.html.
	We will be providing regular updates on this site.

Home Information Packs

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a  (a) spare room,  (b) study and  (c) box room will be classified as a bedroom for the purposes of the commencement of home information pack provisions.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 June 2007,  Official  R eport, column 164W.

Home Information Packs

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the expected date is for the publication of the reprinted Home Information Pack Toolkit.

Yvette Cooper: The revised Home Information Pack Toolkit was published, mailed and available to order from 30 July, and available on the HIP website from 27 July.

Home Information Packs

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of home condition reports commissioned to date.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 160W.

Home Information Packs

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a room formerly used as a bedroom will be classified as a bedroom for the purposes of the commencement of home information pack provisions if the bed is removed from it.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 164W.

Home Information Packs

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to issue revised statutory instruments relating to home information packs; and what the timescale is for the coming into force of such statutory instruments.

Yvette Cooper: The Government will continue to monitor HIPs closely to ensure benefits are being passed onto the consumer. The Home Information Pack Regulations (No.2) 2007 were laid on 11 June and came into force on 1 August 2007. The Government intend to make further statutory instruments which will commence HIPs for remaining properties. Any revised statutory instrument would be made in light of the experience following roll-out and would be subject to the standard parliamentary process for such statutory instruments.

Home Information Packs

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether additional funding has been provided to local authority trading standards departments to enforce the home information packs regulations.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 June 2007,  Official Report, column 633W.

Home Information Packs

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations her Department has received from the local authorities co-ordinators of regulatory services on (a) home information packs and  (b) energy performance certificates in the last 12 months.

Yvette Cooper: We have had regular discussions with all key stakeholders about home information packs and energy performance certificates, including LACORS.

Home Information Packs

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a home information pack will be required at the point of sale.

Yvette Cooper: During the transitional period until the end of the year homeowners need to commission a pack and pay for it, or make a commitment to paying for it, before putting their home on the market.

Home Information Packs

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department will retain the revenue from fines for breaching the home information pack regulations.

Yvette Cooper: No. Local Authority Trading Standards officers will have the power to issue fixed penalty notices where a breach of the home information pack duties is suspected.

Home Information Packs: Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 26 June 2007,  Official Report, column 633W, on Home Information Packs: Finance, what the financial value is of the additional resources provided to local authority trading standard departments in England in year 2007-08.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 June 2007,  Official Report, column 633W.

Housing

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government  (a) what the lower quartile price was for new dwellings sold,  (b) how many new houses were built and  (c) how many new affordable houses were built in (i) each Government region and (ii) nationally in 2006.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 10 September 2007
	Data on  (a) the lower quartile house price for new dwellings sold,  (b) the number of new homes built and  (c) the number of new affordable homes built in each government office region and for England are presented in the following table. Affordable housing supply figures are available by financial year only.
	
		
			   (a) LQ house price for new dwellings sold in 2006( 1 ) ()  (b) Total number of new homes built in 2006( 2)  (c) Number of new homes built in 2005-06 which are classified as affordable( 3,4) 
			 North East 122,075 7,658 945 
			 North West 123,995 18,563 2,036 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 119,995 15,490 1,758 
			 East Midlands 122,950 16,906 2,532 
			 West Midlands 126,000 14,873 3,758 
			 East 152,950 21,617 4,155 
			 London 208,218 20,472 7,016 
			 South East 169,000 26,985 6,894 
			 South West 141,500 18,197 3,995 
			 England 137,000 160,761 33,089 
			 (1) Source: HM Land Registry (2) Source: National House Building Council, local authorities P2 returns (3) Source: Housing Corporation, local authorities P2 returns, private developers (4) Affordable housing includes both social rent and intermediate housing (e.g. low cost home ownership). 
		
	
	In addition to the numbers of new build affordable homes shown in the table above a further 11,834 affordable homes were supplied through the acquisition of dwellings from the private sector stock.

Housing: Cornwall

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the average age of first time house buyers in  (a) the West Cornwall and Isles of Scilly constituency of St Ives,  (b) Cornwall and  (c) each Government region in each region since 1997, broken down by sex.

Parmjit Dhanda: Data on First Time Buyers (FTBs) are available from the regulated mortgage survey which is supplied to Communities and Local Government by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. However due to a small sample size data on the average age of FTBs at UK level are unreliable. The gender split is unavailable.
	The average age of FTBs at the UK level is available on the Council of Mortgage Lenders website at http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/filegrab/2ML2.xls?ref=4624. These figures are in the following table.
	
		
			   Median age of first time buyers, UK 
			 1997 29 
			 1998 29 
			 1999 30 
			 2000 30 
			 2001 30 
			 2002 31 
			 2003 31 
			 2004 31 
			 2005 30 
			 2006 29 
			 Source:  CML

Housing: Low Incomes

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what minimum equity stake must be purchased under the  (a) Social Homebuy,  (b) New Build Homebuy and  (c) Open Market Homebuy schemes; and what plans her Department has to amend the level of these stakes.

Yvette Cooper: The minimum equity stake which can be purchased under  (a) Social Homebuy and  (b)New Build Homebuy is 25 per cent.
	Under  (c) purchasers buy a property outright supported by an equity loan for up to 25 per cent. of the property's value.
	In June of this year the Housing Corporation launched a competition for private investors to join the 2008-11 round of Open Market Homebuy, and they have received initial expressions of interest. Proposals include products which allow buyers to purchase as little as 50 per cent. of a home chosen on the open market.
	We also want to offer more social tenants the opportunity to buy a share in their home and will be considering whether we should offer smaller shares to improve affordability. We will announce proposals later this year as part of our response to John Hills' review of social housing.

Housing: Low Incomes

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many foreign nationals were granted a social housing tenancy in each of the last 10 years.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 10 September 2007
	 Information on social dwellings owned by  (a) local councils and  (b) registered social landlords which are allocated to non-British citizens is collected in the Continuous Recording of Lettings form (CORE). These data are collected on behalf of Communities and Local Government and the Housing Corporation by the Centre for Housing Research at the University of St. Andrews. A question was added for the 2006-07 collection period to obtain information on the nationality of the tenant.
	Using CORE data, the Department has estimated around 5 per cent. of general needs lettings made to new social housing tenants between April and December 2006 were to foreign nationals. We estimate this was equivalent to around 10,000 general needs lettings to new social housing tenants in 2005-06 being made to foreign nationals.

Housing: Middlesbrough

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland have received assistance under the Homebuy scheme.

Yvette Cooper: The Homebuy scheme was launched in April 2006. Provisional figures for 2006-07 show that 27 homes were completed under the New Build Homebuy scheme in the Middlesbrough council area and none in Redcar and Cleveland borough council. No purchases were made under Open Market Homebuy in either Middlesbrough or Redcar and Cleveland in 2006-07.
	In addition Middlesbrough benefited from two sales under Right to Acquire and one through a Social Homebuy pilot scheme. Redcar and Cleveland also benefited through 16 Right to Acquire sales.
	This information is not available on a constituency basis.
	For the remainder of 2007-08, we are making changes to the Open Market Homebuy product to offer purchasers greater choice and improve affordability.
	From 23 July we are offering a new 17.5 per cent. Government equity loan product, which purchasers will be able to use more flexibly as a deposit and take to any lender on the open market. This will complement the existing scheme of a 12.5 per cent. equity loan matched by a 12.5 per cent. equity loan from one of four mortgage lenders.

Housing: Midlands

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of new homes to be built as part of the Milton Keynes and South Midlands spatial strategy which will be occupied by migrant workers from the European Union in  (a) total,  (b) Northamptonshire and  (c) Wellingborough.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Milton Keynes South Midlands Sub Regional Strategy (MKSM SRS) sets out clear targets for the delivery of housing across the growth area. The strategy does not set levels of housing for any specific groups. Housing market assessments have also been carried out for North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire to identify areas of housing need. The assessments, initial conclusions acknowledge that migration will indeed influence the pace of housing growth but given patterns of movement within the labour market it is inherently difficult to predict accurate figures for the number and requirement of housing for migrant workers in the county.
	Given the growth plans in Northamptonshire, additional employment opportunities for migrant workers are likely to be created in future and the growth presents an opportunity for migrants in terms of work and housing opportunities.
	Provision of housing for migrant workers is dealt with at a local level and local authority housing providers will work to build on the initial information provided in the reports previously referred to in order to determine future housing need for migrant workers.

Housing: Valuation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many domestic dwellings in  (a) England and  (b) each local authority area in England are coded by the Valuation Office Agency with the VE value significant code.

John Healey: The Valuation Office Agency has not undertaken a comprehensive exercise to gather value significant coding information on all domestic dwellings in England.

Infrastructure: Wellingborough

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans there are to improve infrastructure in Wellingborough under the South Midlands and Milton Keynes spatial strategy; and if she will list the projects to be undertaken and their  (a) start and  (b) completion dates.

Parmjit Dhanda: Since 2004, the Government working with partners in the Northamptonshire area have invested 100 million additional funding through the Growth Area Fund in Northamptonshire.
	Spending on infrastructure has already commenced in certain areas that will relate to Wellingborough. A 1.3 million scheme for the improvement of the A45/A509 Wilby Way roundabout, near Wellingborough, was approved for CIF grant in 2006. The scheme is due to be completed by April 2008. In addition, 1.5 million has been allocated for town centre improvements in Wellingborough for the period 2006-07 to 2007-08
	In addition, from the commencement of the new East Midlands Rail Franchise timetable in December 2008, rail passengers will benefit from a new hourly service between Kettering and London (including Wellingborough), increasing the number of off peak services on the midland main line to five trains per hour.

Land: Databases

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) of 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 171W, on Land: Databases, if she will place in the Library a copy of the documentation relating to the validation service the Valuation Office Agency provides for local authority IT suppliers.

John Healey: The VOA validation service for IT suppliers to local authorities on Valuebill developments is delivered by an external contractor. The terms are commercially sensitive and confidential.

Local Government

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local planning authorities in each  (a) region and  (b) county have local planning reviews or unitary development plan reviews being processed to adoption under the transitional arrangements of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004; and what the expected month of adoption is in each case.

Yvette Cooper: The following local planning authorities are still processing their local plans or UDPs under the transitional arrangements:
	Swale LP (inspector's report expected in October and adoption after that);
	Tendring LP (inspector's report expected in October and adoption after that);
	Carlisle LP (local plan inquiry still in progress);
	Warwick LP (adoption expected August);
	Bath and NE Somerset LP (adoption expected September);
	Caradon LP (adoption expected September);
	North Kesteven LP (adoption expected in September);
	Sunderland UDP (adoption expected in November).
	Adoption of local plans/UDPs is in the gift of councils and therefore these expected timingsand their implementationare entirely subject to confirmation by the councils concerned.

Local Government

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local planning authorities in each  (a) region and  (b) county ceased work on the reviews of their local plans or unitary development plans on the announcement of the intended introduction of local development frameworks; and what the year of adoption was of their preceding adopted local plan.

Yvette Cooper: The following table provides a list of those authorities who our regional Government offices consider to have ceased work on local plans or UDPs on the announcement of the intended introduction of LDFs and the adoption date of the local plan/UDP which was in force at the time.
	
		
			  Table of authorities: 
			  Region  Local planning authority  Adoption of previous plan 
			 London Tower Hamlets  
			
			 East Midlands None  
			
			 Yorkshire and Humber York Never did local plan 
			  Barnsley 2000 
			  Rotherham 1999 
			  Sheffield 1998 
			  Doncaster 1998 
			  Hambleton, North Yorks 1999 
			
			 North West None  
			
			 West Midlands Stoke on Trent 1993 
			  Stafford 1998 
			  Lichfield 1998 
			  Staffs Moorlands 1998 
			  Cannock 1997 
			  South Staffs 1996 
			
			 East of England Fenland 1993 
			  Huntingdonshire 2002 
			  Castle Point, Essex 1998 
			  Southend 1994 
			  St. Albans 1994 
			  Breckland, Norfolk 1999 
			  Kings Lynn and West Norfolk 1998 
			  Norfolk Waste Local Plan 2000 
			  South Norfolk 2003 
			  Forest Heath, Suffolk 1995 
			  Ipswich 1997 
			  Mid Suffolk 1998 
			  Waveney, Suffolk 1996 
			
			 North East None  
			
			 South West Purbeck, Dorset No 1991 Act plan 
			  Kerrier, Cornwall No 1991 Act plan 
			
			 South East Horsham 1997 
			  Crawley 2000 
			  Wealden, Sussex 1998 
			  Cherwell, Oxon 1996 
			  West Sussex CC (Waste) 2003

Local Government Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how long the pilot schemes on participatory budgeting will last.

Parmjit Dhanda: The current pilot schemes in Bradford, Newcastle, Sunderland, Salford, Manton and Lewisham will last until March 2008. Sunderland has committed to continue prioritising a proportion of the new deal for Communities budget under a participatory budgeting process until 2011, when the NDC programme is due to finish.

Local Government Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria were used to select local authorities taking part in the participatory budgeting pilots.

Parmjit Dhanda: The 10 participatory budgeting pilots are assisted by the Participatory Budgeting Unit, which this Department helps to support. Before helping to develop a pilot, the Participatory Budgeting Unit applies the following criteria: there must be political support for participatory budgeting as the process can only be undertaken with the approval of senior council officials or elected representatives; an appropriate source of funding must be identified; and there must be the capacity and resources to ensure good quality engagement with the community.

Local Government Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government over what frontline services residents will be given a direct say in her plans for participatory budgeting.

Parmjit Dhanda: In the participatory budgeting pilots, residents are having a say in the spending priorities for the following types of services:
	Bradford: services for community and neighbourhood development in deprived areas, tackling safer communities, children and young people, environmental improvements, and health, housing issues, learning, sport and leisure and older people.
	Newcastle: services for young people to help social cohesion and sporting activities; and safer, cleaner greener issues, for example, to counteract minor crime, improvements to parks, community cohesion and engagement.
	Salford: minor road works to help safety.
	Sunderland: funds to strengthen the community and undertake capacity building which includes projects to support young and older people working together, to support and develop young people and help ethnic minorities. Re-profiling of services under a number of themes including community safety, housing, environment, capacity building, job creation and education.
	Manton: services funded include play areas, facilities for teenagers, sports and leisure, local police services, abating litter and rubbish.
	Lewisham: The spending priorities have not yet been decided. Priorities will be selected under the following headings: encouraging volunteering, supporting young people, addressing community concerns, improving the health of local people, and bringing together diverse communities.
	The services over which residents might have a say for the other four pilots have yet to be confirmed.

Local Government Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what form consultation with councils taking part in the participatory budget pilots took.

Parmjit Dhanda: In the cases of Bradford, Newcastle, Sunderland, Salford, Manton and Lewisham (where the participatory budgeting funds have been confirmed), the participatory budgeting unit held discussions with senior officials and/or elected representatives of the local council before assisting the lead organisation in the development of a pilot. A similar approach is being taken in the other pilot areas of St. Helens, Merseyside, Erdington in Birmingham and Thornhill in Southampton.

Local Government Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities listed increased revenue from  (a) parking fines and  (b) fly-tipping fines as an efficiency gain in their annual efficiency returns to her Department.

John Healey: Our guidance (available at www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1508167) makes clear that the monetary sum of fines collected should not be counted as efficiency gains in annual efficiency statements.

Planning Permission: Cornwall

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 24 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 968-9W, on planning permission: Cornwall, what quarterly aggregated statistics her Department collects; what the results are on a  (a) Cornwall-wide and  (b) national level in each of the last five years; and where data for individual planning applications are collected.

Iain Wright: holding answer 10 September 2007
	The department currently collects 150 items of data on development control from local and county planning authorities. Key information on decisions taken on planning permissions during the last five years are given in the table as follows:
	
		
			  Number of planning applications decided and percentage granted: 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			  Cornwall( 1)  
			 Major decisions 210 200 290 300 320 
			 Percentage granted 65 71 72 74 78 
			 Minor decisions 3,500 3,990 4,180 4,050 3,910 
			 Percentage granted 78 77 74 77 81 
			 Other decisions 7,050 7,570 7,670 6,480 6,620 
			 Percentage granted 84 83 81 81 83 
			   
			  England  
			 Major decisions 14,730 16,750 18,830 19,610 19,260 
			 Percentage granted 81 78 75 75 75 
			 Minor decisions 144,010 152,070 160,860 157,350 151,120 
			 Percentage granted 81 78 76 76 76 
			 Other decisions 426,810 455,930 465,630 421,740 417,030 
			 Percentage granted 83 82 81 80 80 
			 (1 )Consists of Restormel. Carrick, Caradon, Penwith, Kerrier and North Cornwall planning authorities.  Source:  Communities and Local Government General Development Control Returns, PS1/PS2. 
		
	
	More detailed information is published by the department and can be accessed at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/planningbuilding/planningstatistics/statisticsplanning/-quarterly statistics;
	and
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/planningbuilding/planningstatistics/developmentcontrolstatistics/-annual statistics

Planning: South West Region

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the  (a) viability of Multi-Area Agreements (MAAs) between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and  (b) effectiveness of MAAs in the South West region.

Parmjit Dhanda: We have not received a proposition for a multi area agreement (MAA) between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, but would be happy to discuss this further with the areas concerned. MAAs are a new concept and we are at the stage of initial proposals for their possible development. None exist yet to evaluate.

Playing Fields: Planning

Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2007,  Official Report, column 226W, on playing fields: planning, when the consultation on the review of statutory consultees is expected to take place.

Parmjit Dhanda: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster) on 17 July 2007,  Official Report, column 226W, which remains the current position.

Regional Planning and Development: South West Region

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what representations the Minister for the South West has made to  (a) the Department (i) for Transport, (ii) of Health, (iii) of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, (iv) for Communities and Local Government, (v) for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (vi) for Work and Pensions and  (b) the Wales Office regarding (A) the interests of the South West in the formulation of central government policy and (B) the development of the single regional strategy;
	(2)  what discussions the Minister for the South West has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and HM Treasury on the comprehensive spending review.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Minister for the South West has had discussions with a range of ministerial colleagues and others on issues impacting on the region.

Regional Planning and Development: South West Region

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Minister for the South West's most recent assessment is of the priorities for the South West.

Parmjit Dhanda: The priorities for the South West are the provision of more affordable housing and infrastructure improvements which will ensure the region's economy continues to grow at the rate it has over the last 10 years.

Road Traffic Control: Kettering

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the grant awarded by her Department in 2007 towards improving the operation and co-ordination of traffic lights in Kettering has been spent on; and what the impact of that spending has been on levels of co-ordination and operation.

Parmjit Dhanda: The grant to which the hon. Member refers is being paid through the Department's Growth Area Fund, and the scheme is called the Kettering Intelligent Transport Scheme (KITS). The scheme was approved in January 2007 and will be delivered by the end of March 2008. To date, delivery has been focussed on the planning required although I understand orders have now been placed and the main works are about to commence. It is therefore not possible to assess the impact at this stage although the scheme was appraised to Treasury Green Book standards prior to the grant being approved.

Rural Areas

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she intends formally to establish any rural or non-metropolitan equivalents of city regions.

Parmjit Dhanda: City-regions are currently voluntary local authority partnerships and are not established by the Government.
	The review of sub-national economic development and regeneration, undertaken by HM Treasury, The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and my Department, was published in July 2007 and sets out the economic benefits of sub-regional working. The review states that the Government will work with interested sub-regions to explore the potential for allowing groups of local authorities to establish sub-regional authorities which enable pooling of economic development responsibilities. This offer is open to rural and non-metropolitan areas, as well as city-regions.

Supporting People Programme

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has for the level of financial support provided through the Supporting People programme; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: Levels of future funding for the Supporting People programme and its distribution are subject to the current Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). Details about the outcome of CSR07 for the programme will be announced alongside the local government settlement later in the year.

Temporary Accommodation

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households are living in temporary accommodation.

Iain Wright: Information reported each quarter by local authorities about their activities under homelessness legislation includes the number of households accepted by local authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty. The duty owed to an accepted household is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home is found.
	The number of households in temporary accommodation is available in our quarterly statistical release on statutory homelessness, which provides data at the national (Table 6) and regional level (Table 7), and is published on our website and placed in the Library each quarter. The latest release was published on 10 September 2007 and contains data for the period April to June 2007:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstaticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/

Thames Gateway: Finance

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget was for the Thames Gateway project in each year since its inception, broken down by main budget heading.

Yvette Cooper: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  TG Budgets Resource 
			   million 
			   Consumption  Capital 
			 2003-04 3 (1)21.6 
			 2004-05 8.2 (2)139.5 
			 2005-06 12.5 (3)149 
			 2006-07 17 130 
			 2007-08 23 155 
			 (1 )Including 12.4 million resource investment  (2 )Including 18.5 million resource investment  (3 )Including 23.8 million resource investment 
		
	
	Since 2003 central Government has invested over 7 billion into the Gateway for major infrastructure, roads, schools, and other facilities, as well as project funding provided by the Department. The Gateway also benefits from the 1.8 billion public sector contribution to the channel tunnel rail link enabling international services via Ebbsfleet from 14 November this year, and domestic services from 2009.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Casinos: Applications

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many new applications for casinos made under the Gambling Act 1968 were made in 2006; and how many have been made in 2007.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Between 1 January 2006 and 28 April 2006, the Gambling Commission received 55 applications for certificates of consent for new casinos under the Gaming Act 1968.
	From 28 April 2006, the Gambling Commission could no longer accept applications under the Gaming Act 1968 for certificates of consent in respect of new casinos.
	Where a certificate of consent is issued, operators can then apply to the local licensing authority for a casino licence. For applications made under the Gaming Act 1968 the local licensing authority in England and Wales is the Local Licensing Justices and in Scotland it is the Local Licensing Board. There is no guarantee that the grant of a certificate of consent will result in a casino licence being granted. If a local licensing authority turns down an application for a licence an operator can appeal.

Cricket: Floods

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Sport England has given to cricket clubs affected by flood damage during the summer 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England funding supports projects which provide new capacity/provision rather than like for like repair or maintenance projects. However, funding from the National Sports Foundation, managed on behalf of the Government by Sport England, may support repairs of this nature, but will take into account all proceeds from insurance cover. To date no applications of this nature have been received.

Departments: Legislation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which Bills introduced by his Department in the last five years did not contain sunset clauses; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: As I explained in my answer to the hon. Member for Twickenham's question 151837, the Gambling Act 2005 and the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006 contain sunset clauses: the following Acts introduced by my Department do not contain sunset clausesthe Office of Communications Act 2002, the National Heritage Act 2002, the Licensing Act 2003, the Communications Act 2003, the National Lottery (Funding of Endowments) Act 2003, the Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Act 2003, the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, the Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004, the National Lottery Act 2006 and the Digital Switchover (Disclosure of Information) Act 2007.
	The appropriateness of a sunset clause for the whole or any part of proposed legislation is considered on a case by case basis. It is also addressed when a regulatory impact assessment relating to legislation is being prepared.

Gambling

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding was provided for problem gambling services in the UK by  (a) the Government and  (b) the gambling industry in each of the last five years; what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of those services; what plans he has to use his powers under the Gambling Act 2005 to ensure that the Responsibility in Gambling Trust receives additional funding to treat adequately any increase in problem gambling in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 10 September 2007
	Problem gambling services in Great Britain are mainly funded by the gambling industry, principally through the Responsibility in Gambling Trust (RiGT). The Government do not fund dedicated problem gambling services, but anybody with a gambling problem who seeks help from the NHS will be offered support and, if necessary, treatment. In the past five years, the industry has contributed the following amounts to RiGT:
	
		
			   Amount () 
			 2006-07 3,032,689 
			 2005-06 2,274,567 
			 2004-05 2,281,527 
			 2003-04 1,269,852 
			 2002-03 765,659 
		
	
	British-licensed gambling operators are now required by the Gambling Commission to contribute to problem gambling education, prevention and treatment. I have the power under the Gambling Act 2005 to impose a statutory social responsibility levy on the gambling industry and I will not hesitate to use this if the evidence demands it.

Gambling

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the proposal to include a helpline number on all gambling adverts shown in the UK; whether he plans such a service to be promoted in the future; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 10 September 2007
	I welcome any steps the gambling industry takes to advertise in a socially responsible way. I am pleased that the British gambling industry has adopted a voluntary code for socially responsible advertising which requires the inclusion of a 'signpost' to the Responsibility in Gambling Trust's (RiGT) public awareness website, www.gambleaware.co.uk. It is up to advertisers if they wish also to include an appropriate helpline number for problem gamblers. I understand that RiGT is currently assessing the effectiveness of phone helplines in raising public awareness of gambling issues and I look forward to seeing the results of their work.

Gambling Act 2005

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans there are to review the implementation of the Gambling Act 2005 after it becomes law.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Gambling Act 2005 came into force on 1 September 2007. The Gambling Commission's study into the prevalence of gambling, due to be published shortly, is intended to provide a baseline against which the Act as a whole can be reviewed. The next prevalence study is due in 2010.
	In the meantime, the Act contains wide-ranging powers to keep crime out of gambling, to keep it fair and to protect children and the vulnerable.

Gambling: Children

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he made of the aspects of the Responsibility in Gambling Trust and the Royal College of Psychiatrists' submissions to the Gambling Commission consultation on gambling advertisements which highlight their concern at the possible impact on children of allowing the promotion of gambling-related products through sporting events and merchandise; whether his Department has commissioned any research into the likely impact on children of this policy; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 10 September 2007
	The Responsibility in Gambling Trust and Royal College of Psychiatrists' submissions to the Gambling Commission consultation on gambling advertisements were published on the Gambling Commission website in June 2007 along with the Commission's own response. The Government agree with the Commission's assessment that
	the CAP (Committee on Advertising Practice) and BCAP (Broadcast Committee on Advertising Practice) advertising codes will ensure that the content and placement of advertising is socially responsible.
	The Government also agree with their view that licensees should
	use sponsorship in a socially responsible manner
	and that
	the (gambling) industry itself (should) consider whether it should follow the example of the drinks industry by introducing a voluntary self-denying ban on replica children's shirts.
	I am pleased that the gambling industry has responded to this by adopting a voluntary code on socially responsible advertising which requires that gambling logos are not used on children's replica sports shirts in sponsorship deals made after 1 September 2007. We have commissioned no specific research on this issue but I have strong powers to limit advertising under the Gambling Act, and if there is evidence that gambling is being advertised in a socially irresponsible way, I will not hesitate to use them.

Gambling: Internet

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many internet gambling companies are registered in the UK.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department does not collect information on the total number of companies with a connection to internet gambling that may be registered in the UK for various purposes.
	However, to date the Gambling Commission has received 146 applications for operating licences that include provision for internet gambling. Of these applications, 77 have been granted, 68 are pending and one has been refused.

Horserace Totalisator Board

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects to announce the privatisation of the Tote.

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Government expects to sell the Tote within the next three months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government are currently at an advanced stage of the discussions on a possible sale of the Tote to a consortium of racing interests and the staff and management of the Tote. The Government will announce the outcome in due course.

Mass Media: Violence

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) assessed into links between the portrayal of violence in the media and instances of violence in society.

Margaret Hodge: The Government recognise concerns about these issues and keep under continuous review the available evidence on the links between portrayals of violence in the media and violence in society. Most recently we have announced a review which will look at ways that parents can protect their children from exposure to inappropriate or potentially harmful content on the internet and in computer games.
	Previously we have commissioned research from the University of Stirling on whether there is a link between video games featuring violence and violent behaviour in real life (available on our website). And our sponsored bodies have also commissioned research including, most recently, Harm and Offence in Media Content which was funded by broadcasters and the relevant regulators.

National Lottery: Play

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the money available under the Big Lottery Fund Children's Play initiative has been  (a) committed and  (b) spent.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following figures reflect the proportion of money which has been committed and spent under Big Lottery Fund's Children's Play initiative as of end August 2007.
	
		
			   
			  Programme name  Current award value (committed)  Total paid to date (spent) 
			 Play Infrastructure 14,663,933 4,359,562 
			 Playful Ideas 4,884,167 494,586 
			 Children's Play 46,209,437 1,644,672 
			 Total 65,757,537 6,498,820 
		
	
	The total money available for the Children's Play initiative is 155 million. 42 per cent. of it has been committed and 4.2 per cent. has been spent.

Panathlon Challenge: Sponsorship

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress he has made in finding a sponsor for the Panathlon Challenge.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has been unable to assist the Panathlon Challenge in finding an alternative source of sponsorship. Local funding is available through school sport partnerships and county sport partnerships where the Panathlon Challenge meets their requirements for competitive sport.

Play: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made towards his Department's target of providing 200 million towards Children's Play; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department has not set a target of providing 200 million towards children's play. However, as part of our response to 'Getting Serious About Play', the review of children's play undertaken by Frank Dobson in 2004, Tessa Jowell, the then Secretary of State, stated that she expected 200 million to be provided for children's play through lottery funding by 2012.
	That expectation is being met in England through the Big Lottery Fund 155 million play initiative.

Sport and Recreation Division: Manpower

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many members of staff his Department allocates to the Sport and Recreation Division; how much time they spend on  (a) direct ministerial support,  (b) non-departmental public body support and  (c) policy development; how many have experience in project management; how many have experience in contract writing; and what the total administration costs of the Sport and Recreation Division were in the last financial year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 10 September 2007
	There are currently 37 posts allocated to Sports Division. Of the current staff in post, 29 have experience of project management while four have experience of contract writing. This small number of staff is due to the fact that all formal contract writing is undertaken by the Procurement and Property Services Team in the Department's Human and Business Resources Division. On time spent on Policy Development, Ministerial Support and NDPB Support it is estimated that 35 per cent. of total staff time is spent on Policy development, 35 per cent. of time is spent on direct ministerial support while 30 per cent. is spent on NDPB support. The total administration cost for Sport Division in 2006-07 was 1.6 million.

Sport Direct

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress is being made towards the establishment of Sport Direct; and how Sport Direct will differ from the Active Places website.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government remain committed to delivering a 'one stop shop' of information to help people find opportunities to play sport in their local area.
	We are currently assessing the most effective way of integrating the different sources of sports participation information.

Sports: Drugs

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many publicly-funded athletes in the Olympic disciplines have missed two out-of-competition drug tests.

Gerry Sutcliffe: UK Sport, the national anti-doping agency, does not disclose information on specific numbers of athletes who have missed drug tests under the Whereabouts system, nor the number of 'strikes' they have received. Under the World Anti-Doping Code, UK Sport is obliged to report specifically on doping violations for individual athletes, and missed tests are not defined as a violation until three have been recorded.
	UK Sport does annually report the total number of missed tests across all sports on the national anti-doping programme. In 2006-07, the figure was 126.

Sports: Transport

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the proportion of people who live within 20 minutes of a good multi-sport facility; which mode of transport was used in calculating this figure; what the average distance covered in this time was for the purposes of the calculation; how this target has been assessed; what plans he has to monitor the targets; and what definition his Department uses of a good multi-sport facility.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 10 September 2007
	For the purposes of this commitment the Government have defined 'multi-sport' as access to at least two different sports facilities that are most in demand. In relation to 'good quality' there is no single nationally recognised measure that can be applied to all sports facilities. However, the Active Places sports facilities database (the main tool for measuring the commitment) holds information about the age of facilities and length of time since last refurbishment. We are using these figures as the measure of quality.
	Using the Active Places database Sport England are undertaking strategic mapping of the nation's sports facilities and we know that over 90 per cent. of people in England are within 20 minutes' travel time of at least two different sports facilities that are most in demand by the public (swimming pools, playing fields, synthetic turf pitches, health and fitness centres, sports halls and golf courses). We know that, of the built sports facilities listed on Active Places (pools, halls, health and fitness centres and synthetic turf pitches), 65 per cent. have been built or refurbished in the last 10 years. We expect to see these positive figures maintained in future years.
	The Government take the view that those in urban areas should be within 20 minutes' walking distance of a multi-sport environment, while those in rural areas should be within 20 minutes' driving distance by car. Urban and rural areas are defined using the Rural and Urban Area Classification 2004: Introductory Guide, which was jointly published by The Countryside Agency, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Office for National Statistics, and the Welsh Assembly Government. The rural road travel times are based on the average road speeds derived from the Integrated Transport Network produced by Ordnance Survey. The urban walking catchments are based on a straight line 1.34 km distance.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Abortion

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 79W, on abortion, whether Parliament will be able to pass legislation changing the law relating to abortion in Northern Ireland once the Northern Ireland Assembly has assumed responsibility for the criminal law.

Shaun Woodward: When responsibility for the criminal law is devolved, consideration of legislation relating to the law on abortion will be a matter for the devolved authorities in Northern Ireland. As paragraph 13 of the Devolution Memorandum of Understanding (Cm 5240, published in December 2001) makes clear:
	The United Kingdom Parliament retains authority to legislate on any issue, whether devolved or not. It is ultimately for Parliament to decide what use to make of that power. However, the UK Government will proceed in accordance with the convention that the UK Parliament would not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters except with the agreement of the devolved legislature.
	The Government's position on the law on abortion in Northern Ireland is as set out in the answer of 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 79W.

Crimes of Violence

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on recent violent attacks; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: We are in regular discussion with the PSNI in relation to a variety of policing matters, including instances of violence.
	The PSNI policing plan for 2007-08 includes a target for reducing violent crime by two percentage points. Violent crime this year to date is showing a reduction of 18.2 per cent. in comparison to the same period last year.

Departments: Correspondence

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many letters he and his predecessors sent in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: This information is not recorded.

Departments: Information Officers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many press officers are employed by his Department.

Shaun Woodward: There are 12 press officers working for the Northern Ireland Office, comprising of a director of communications, deputy director of communications, two principal information officers, four senior information officers and four information officers.

Departments: Legislation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which Bills introduced by his Department in the last five years contained sunset clauses; and what plans he has for the future use of such clauses.

Shaun Woodward: The following Acts introduced as Bills by my Department in the last five years have contained sunset clauses (that is to say, provisions that will expire at the end of a set period):
	 Northern Ireland Assembly (Elections and Periods of Suspension) Act 2003
	Section 7 provided that the provisions of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 which have been inserted or substituted by the 2003 Act and section 1(4) of the 2003 Act would expire on 16 November 2003 unless 7(4) applied or an order had been made under section 7(2) of the 2003 Act. These provisions have not expired (save s.31(2) of the NIA 1998, as inserted by the 2003 Act, which has since been substituted by the Northern Ireland (St. Andrews Agreement) Act 2006) because an order was made under s.31(2) of the NIA 1998 so s.7(4) applied.
	 Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2003
	Section 23 of the Police (NI) Act 2003, as amended by Article 10 of the Policing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (NI) Order 2007, provides for the appointment of constables who have a specified policing skill. This provision will expire on 21 April 2009 (i.e. two years after the Policing (Miscellaneous Provisions) (NI) Order 2007 came into operation).
	 Electoral Registration (Northern Ireland) Act 2005
	Section 3 provides that the Act shall cease to be in force 12 months after the day on which it is passed, unless an order has been made under 3(2). No such Order was made and the Act has expired.
	The appropriateness of a sunset clause for the whole or part of any proposed legislation is considered on a case by case basis. It is also addressed when a regulatory impact assessment relating to legislation is being prepared.

Departments: Legislation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which Bills introduced by his Department in the last five years did not contain sunset clauses; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The following Acts introduced as Bills by my Department in the last five years have not contained sunset clauses:
	Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning (Amendment) Act 2002
	Justice (Northern Ireland Act) 2002
	Electoral Fraud (Northern Ireland) Act 2002
	Northern Ireland Assembly Elections Act 2003
	Northern Ireland (Monitoring Commission etc) Act 2003
	Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2004
	Northern Ireland Act 2006
	Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006
	Terrorism (Northern Ireland) Act 2006
	Northern Ireland (St. Andrews Agreement) Act 2006
	Northern Ireland (St. Andrews Agreement) Act 2007
	Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007

Departments: Manpower

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are employed in his Department to work on ministerial correspondence.

Shaun Woodward: Three civil servants are employed in my Department to co-ordinate responses to ministerial correspondence. However, in the course of their duties most staff at all grades are involved in the process of drafting responses to ministerial correspondence.

Departments: Ministerial Red Boxes

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many ministerial red boxes the Department bought in each of the last five years; what the cost of each was; who the suppliers were; and what tendering process was used in selecting them.

Shaun Woodward: Ministerial boxes are used by successive Ministers over many years. In the last five years my Department has not purchased any new ministerial boxes.

Departments: Official Hospitality

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many receptions were held at 11 Millbank in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: Our records show that over the last three years the following number of receptions were held in Millbank. Records are not available for 2003 and 2004.
	
		
			   Number of receptions held 
			 2005 5 
			 2006 2 
			 2007 (1)1 
			 (1 )To date

Departments: Press

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to which periodicals his Department subscribes.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office, excluding its Agencies and Executive NDPBs, subscribes to the following periodicals:
	 American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology
	 Archbold News
	 Belfast Gazette
	 British Journal of Community Justice
	 British Journal of Criminology
	 British Journal of Social Work
	 Bulletin of Northern Ireland Law
	 Bulletpoint
	 Child Care in Practice
	 Childright
	 Community Safety Journal
	 Community Safety Matters
	 Computer Active
	 Computer Weekly
	 Country Life
	 Crime Reduction News
	 Criminal Justice
	 Criminal Justice Matters
	 Criminal Law Review
	 Criminal Lawyer
	 Current Sentencing Practice News
	 Diversity at Work
	 Dod's Parliamentary Companion
	 Druglink
	 Economist
	 European Human Rights Law Review
	 Exchange Administrator
	 Forensic Science International
	 Fortnight
	 Homes  Gardens
	 House of Commons Hansard
	 House of Lords Hansard
	 Howard Journal of Criminal Justice
	 Howard League Magazine
	 Human Rights Alerter
	 Human Rights Updater
	 Industrial Relations Law Reports
	 International Journal of Legal Medicine
	 International Review of Victimology
	 Journal of Adolescence
	 Journal of Forensic Sciences
	 Justice of the Peace Journal
	 Justice of the Peace Reports
	 Legal Information Management
	 London Diplomatic List
	 Magistrate
	 Modern Law Review
	 Net Advantage
	 New Law Journal
	 New Statesman
	 Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly
	 PC Pro Magazine
	 Phoenix
	 Police Review
	 Police Journal
	 Private Eye
	 Punishment and Society
	 Radio Times
	 Rapport
	 Relational Justice Bulletin
	 Safer Society
	 Security Administrator
	 SQL Server Magazine
	 The Spectator
	 Time
	 Ulster Tatler
	 Vacher's Quarterly
	 Whitakers' Almanac
	 Who's Who
	 Windows Scripting Solutions
	 Writ
	 Youth Justice Board News
	 Youth Justice Journal

Departments: Press

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by his Department on newspapers and magazines in the last 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office, excluding its Agencies and Executive NDPBs, spent 68,510 on newspapers in 2006-07 (this is the last 12 months for which audited expenditure figures are available).
	Information on magazine expenditure is not easily available as it is grouped with other general publication expenditure. It would not be possible to extract the magazine spend from these figures except at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Redundancy Pay

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by his Department on redundancy payments in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: There have been no redundancy payments made within the last 12 months.

Departments: Stationery

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on stationery in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The following table shows the amount the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), excluding its agencies and NDPBs, has spent on stationery in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Stationery expenditure 
			
			 2002-03 315,435 
			 2003-04 299,858 
			 2004-05 297,183 
			 2005-06 320,590 
			 2006-07 314,784

Departments: Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by his Department on staff away days in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office spent a total of 81,520.24 on staff development days in the financial year 2006-07.

Departments: Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by his Department on  (a) staff training and  (b) communication training in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office spent a total of 1.54 million on staff training and development during the 2006-07 financial year.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Criminal Investigation

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the proportion of police time expended on (a) historical criminal activity and  (b) current criminal activity committed since the Belfast Agreement.

Paul Goggins: It is not possible to provide an estimate of police time expended on historic criminal activity and current criminal activity since the Belfast Agreement. Calculating this would involve considerable time and resources and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Historic Enquiry Team (HET), which includes not only the PSNI but also the Police Ombudsman, PPS and the Forensic Science Agency was established to re-examine all 3,268 murders related to the security situation during the period from 1968 until the signing of the Belfast Agreement and has been allocated 34 million over six years.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Manpower

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the establishment is of the Police Service of Northern Ireland Full Time Police Officers; how many officers are serving; how many are to be retained; and how many will be recruited over the next three years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  PSNI regular 
			   Number 
			 Actual strength September 2007 7,411 
			 Establishment current 7,500 
			 Establishment over next three years 7,500 
			 Recruitment over next three years (1)440 
			 (1) Per year. 
		
	
	The figure for recruitment has been calculated to maintain the establishment at 7,500, taking into account reductions due to natural wastage and through officers leaving under the voluntary severance scheme.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Reserve Forces

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the current establishment is of the Police Service of Northern Ireland Part Time Police Reserve; how many officers are currently serving; how many are to be retained; and how many will be recruited over the next three years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  PSNI part-time reserve 
			   Number 
			 Actual strength September 2007 858 
			 Establishment current 1,000 
			 Establishment over next three years 1,000 
			 Recruitment over next three years (1) 
			 (1) Sufficient to maintain established strength

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Reserve Forces

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the establishment is of the Police Service of Northern Ireland Full Time Police Reserve; how many officers are serving; how many are to be retained; and how many will be recruited over the next three years.

Paul Goggins: The future establishment of the Full Time Reserve is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. He has advised that he will make an announcement on this shortly.
	The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  PSNI full time reserve 
			   Number 
			 Actual strength September 2007 674 
			 Establishment current 680 
			 Establishment over next three years (1) 
			 Recruitment over next three years 0 
			 (1) To be determined by the chief constable.

Police: Finance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the budget was for the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the RUC in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Police Service of Northern Ireland and RUC budgets for the period 1997-98 to 2006-07, excluding budgets for police pension schemes which are treated separately to other GB forces, are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Police Service for Northern Ireland budget allocations 1997-98 to 2006-07 
			   Allocation  ( million) 
			  Cash  
			 1997-98 656.9 
			 1998-99 656.4 
			 1999-2000 654.9 
			 2000-01 685.5 
			 2001-02 707.5 
			 2002-03 722.5 
			 2003-04 706.8 
			   
			  Resource  
			 2004-05 865.6 
			 2005-06 808.7 
			 2006-07 850.4 
			  Note: Prior to the financial year 2004-05 the PSNI budgeted on a cash basis. From 2004-05 PSNI budgets were allocated on a resource basis.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Floods: Worcestershire

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance has been given to rural communities in Worcestershire to assist them following the July floods, with particular reference to support for  (a) Worcestershire County Cricket Club and  (b) Evesham Rowing; and what arrangements have been made to help Worcestershire's farming community.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 10 September 2007
	 I have been asked to reply.
	In total 1,349,500 in Flood Recovery Grant, paid by the Department for Communities and Local Government to support flood affected communities, has been awarded to the district councils in Worcestershire county council. The details of these payments are set out as follows:
	
		
			   
			  District council  Original FRG Round 1  13 July 2007  Original FRG Round 2  20 July 2007  Extended FRG Round 1  16 August 2007  Extended FRG Round 2  24 August 2007  Total 
			 Bromsgrove 0 0 20,000 3,000 23,000 
			 Malvern Hills 50,000 10,000 200,000 50,000 310,000 
			 Redditch 0 0 11,500 11,500 23,000 
			 Worcester 0 0 50,000 10,000 60,000 
			 Wychavon 0 0 600,000 23,500 623,500 
			 Wyre Forest 100,000 0 160,000 50,000 310,000 
			 Total 150,000 10,000 1,041,500 148,000 1,349,500 
		
	
	The regional development agency with responsibility for WorcestershireAdvantage West Midlands (AWM)has a general 2 million flooding recovery package and has also established a 1 million flooded areas recovery programme to assist the recovery of particularly badly flooded areas. Worcestershire has been allocated 600,000 of capital funds for infrastructure repairs under this scheme.
	AWM are supporting businesses, including farmers, affected by flooding through Business Link West Midlands, with a team of more than 40 advisers offering up to five days of free business advice to help restart the estimated 1,000-plus flood-hit businesses in the region. Business Link may be able to offer up to 2,500 worth of subsidised consultancy to help companies devise a flood recovery plan.
	Additionally, a flood recovery loan for companies that have carried out recovery plans has been set up, offering loans of up to 20,000 over two years where companies are unable to get all of the finance they need from their own and mainstream commercial sources.
	In term of the specific projects mentioned:
	AWM have been in contact with Worcestershire Cricket Club over sponsorship and marketing support for events planned to raise income for the club.
	A project is being developed with Evesham Riverside to restore the overall attractiveness of the area and to remove debris to open up the navigation of the river so that boats can start to reuse it.

Fuel Poverty

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to revise the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy in light of the upward price movements in the energy market since its publication in November 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Energy White Paper, published in May 2007, outlined current developments in our policies and programmes aimed at tackling fuel poverty, building on the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy.
	We continue to keep this policy framework under scrutiny and will report on the way forward in our next Annual Report.

Packaging: Compensation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if he will assess the likely effects on  (a) plastic bag use and  (b) the waste stream of a plastic bag tax being introduced at a rate of 10p per bag;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the case for a trial of a plastic bag tax.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The Treasury carried out an assessment of the Irish plastic bag tax following its introduction in 2002. A copy of this assessment is available in the Library of the House.
	The Chancellor continues to keep all taxes under review. The Government currently have no plans for a plastic bag tax.

Rural Development Programme

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on implementation of the new rural development programmes in England for the period 2007-13.

Jonathan R Shaw: The European Commission (EC) must approve the Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13 before it can be fully implemented. The draft Programme was submitted to the EC in May and formally declared admissible in June 2007. The approval process normally takes about six months, or more if the EC seeks further information.
	We are working to get formal Programme approval before the end of 2007. The Programme will then be fully implemented at the earliest opportunity.

Rural Development Programme: Finance

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when spending bodies will be allocated their budgets under the Rural Development Programme in England for the period 2007-13; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Rural Development Programme for England will be delivered by Natural England, the Forestry Commission, the Rural Payments Agency and eight separate Regional Development Agencies. These delivery bodies have been made aware of indicative budgets to enable them to meet existing commitments taken forward from the last Rural Development Programme, and help each delivery body plan for new activities. Formal budget allocations cannot be confirmed until the new programme receives European Commission approval.

Water Charges: Low Incomes

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many successful applications there were for the vulnerable groups tariff in each of the water, and water and sewerage, companies in England in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 10 September 2007
	Ofwat, the economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales, collects data on the number of households receiving assistance under the Vulnerable Groups Regulations, which are set out in the water companies' annual June returns.
	The vulnerable groups tariff, under the Water Industry (Charges) (Vulnerable Groups) Regulations 1999, applies to metered customers who meet certain criteria to protect them from paying large water bills.
	The numbers of households in England granted assistance with their water bills in 2004-05 and 2005-06 by individual water, and water and sewerage companies are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			  Water and sewerage companies   
			 Anglian 682 719 
			 Dwr Cymru 319 426 
			 Northumbrian (North East and Essex and Suffolk) 483 672 
			 Severn Trent 916 1,223 
			 South West 1,645 2,962 
			 Southern 258 324 
			 Thames 1,323 1,780 
			 United Utilities 1,114 1,447 
			 Wessex 481 622 
			 Yorkshire 1,059 1,308 
			
			  Water only companies   
			 Bournemouth and W Hampshire 118 96 
			 Bristol 211 391 
			 Cambridge 81 97 
			 Dee Valley 10 16 
			 Folkestone and Dover 33 42 
			 Mid Kent 138 103 
			 Portsmouth 24 30 
			 South East 91 114 
			 South Staffordshire 39 139 
			 Sutton and East Surrey 38 64 
			 Tendring Hundred 313 328 
			 Three Valleys 251 284 
			
			 Industry 9,627 13,187

TREASURY

Departments: Disciplinary Proceedings

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in which locations information relating to formal reprimands of staff for failing to follow departmental procedures in relation to calculating the  (a) income tax and  (b) national insurance liabilities of individuals in each of the last five years are held; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: In the last five years any information relating to formal reprimands for staff for the former Inland Revenue and HM Revenue and Customs failing to follow departmental procedures in relation to calculating  (a) income tax and  (b) national insurance liabilities of individuals may be held locally with any manager in any of the locations dealing with these particular issues, if at all. Currently HMRC has about 600 buildings in about 300 locations. National Insurance work is handled primarily in Newcastle. Income tax is handled in many locations too numerous to mention throughout the UK.

Departments: Flowers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on flowers in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 2 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1743W by the former Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Wentworth (John Healey).

Departments: ICT

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many IT contracts in his Department were put out to competitive tender in each year since 1997; how many bidders there were for each tender; and which company won each tender;
	(2)  what the  (a) estimated and  (b) actual (i) cost and (ii) duration was of each IT contract tendered out by his Department since 1997.

Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer the former Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Wentworth (John Healey) gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1880W.

Departments: Press

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on newspapers and magazines in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 2 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1743W to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois).

Departments: Taxis

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on taxis in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: I refer to the answer the then Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Wentworth (Mr. Healey) gave on 28 June 2007,  Official Report, column 873W to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois).

Departments: Tribunals

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: Nil.

Employment

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  which constituencies have seen the greatest  (a) growth and  (b) fall in the total number of (i) jobs and (ii) public sector jobs between 1997 and the latest date for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many  (a) jobs and  (b) public sector jobs there were in each Greater Merseyside constituency in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent date for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 12 September 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary questions about numbers of jobs in Greater Merseyside constituencies and about constituencies showing the greatest changes in numbers of jobs since 1997. (155324,155325)
	The attached tables show the available information requested. Separate estimates for public sector jobs are not available.
	The information is based on data from the Annual Business Inquiry for 2005 and the former Annual Employment Survey for 1997. As with any sample surveys, estimates are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Employee jobs by parliamentary constituency 
			  Constituencies in Great Britain with the largest percentage growth from 1997 to 2005 
			  Thousand and percentage 
			   1997  2005  Change  Percentage change 
			 Poplar and Canning Town 51 118 67 132 
			 Wentworth 18 38 20 115 
			 Glasgow Rutherglen 13 27 14 109 
			 Warrington North 44 84 40 92 
			 South Derbyshire 23 41 18 77 
		
	
	
		
			  Constituencies in Great Britain with the largest percentage falls from 1997 to 2005 
			  Thousand and percentage 
			   1997  2005  Change  Percentage change 
			 Birmingham, Northfield 31 22 -9 -29 
			 Ealing Southall 49 34 -16 -32 
			 Spelthorne 60 41 -20 -32 
			 West Renfrewshire 25 15 -11 -42 
			 Warrington South 56 26 -30 -53 
			  Note:  The surveys cover Great Britain only. Corresponding estimates are not available for Northern Ireland constituencies. Estimates exclude jobs in agricultural sectors   Sources:  Annual Business Inquiry 2005 and Annual Employment Survey 1997 
		
	
	
		
			  Employee jobs in parliamentary constituencies in Greater Merseyside 
			  Thousand 
			   1997  2005 
			 Birkenhead 34 32 
			 Bootle 30 36 
			 Crosby 17 19 
			 Halton 33 31 
			 Knowsley North and Sefton East 27 36 
			 Knowsley South 23 30 
			 Knowsley, Garston 21 27 
			 Liverpool, Riverside 101 128 
			 Liverpool, Walton 24 27 
			 Liverpool Wavertree 28 33 
			 Liverpool, West Derby 10 11 
			 St. Helens North 20 21 
			 St. Helens South 31 38 
			 Southport 31 35 
			 Wallasey 25 22 
			 Weaver Vale 39 44 
			 Wirral South 23 25 
			 Wirral West 17 18 
			  Note:  Estimates exclude jobs in agricultural sectors.   Source:  Annual Business Inquiry 2005 and Annual Employment Survey 1997

Foreign Workers

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of inward migrants to the UK intending to stay for 12 months or more who cited work-related purposes as the main reason for migration in each year for which figures are available; and how many work permit holders were given leave to enter the UK in each year that such data have been collected.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 10 September 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to respond on behalf of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to your question concerning the number of inward migrants to the UK intending to stay for 12 months or more who cited work-related purposes as the main reason for migration in each year for which figures are available; and how many work permit holders were given leave to enter the UK in each year that such data has been collected.
	The estimates of inward migration to the UK of those intending to stay 12 months or more are taken from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) and are shown in the attached table 1. The usual ONS definition of 'work related' includes those migrating for business reasons and au pairs, and those with 'a definite job to go to' are shown as a separate sub-category. The ONS definitions include a further category for those 'looking for work' which are not included in the 'work related' category but are shown here for completeness. The data are also broken down by British, European Union and non-EU citizens as work permits are only applicable to non-EU citizens.
	Work permit data from the Home Office is shown in the attached Table 2,
	
		
			  Table 1International Migration: estimates from the International Passenger Survey time series 1991 to 2005  Citizenship by reason for migration inflowUnited Kingdom 
			  Thousand 
			of which:  
			   Work-related( 1)  'Definite job' to go  Looking for work( 2) 
			  All citizenships
			 1991 40 25 15 
			 1992 39 28 19 
			 1993 40 24 26 
			 1994 50 38 44 
			 1995 50 44  
			 1996 64 55 40 
			 1997 60 50 39 
			 1998 80 73 55 
			 1999 90 72 61 
			 2000 105 86 53 
			 2001 120 106 47 
			 2002 102 96 59 
			 2003 110 95 57 
			 2004 139 116 72 
			 2005 148 140 76 
			  British
			 1991 14 12 8 
			 1992 16 15 10 
			 1993 15 11 18 
			 1994 21 21 29 
			 1995 21 21  
			 1996 19 19 22 
			 1997 21 21 25 
			 1998 25 23 29 
			 1999 25 25 30 
			 2000 28 28 30 
			 2001 27 27 24 
			 2002 25 25 29 
			 2003 20 19 25 
			 2004 15 15 22 
			 2005 21 21 25 
			  European Union
			 1991 11 5 2 
			 1992 7 3 2 
			 1993 7 5  
			 1994 10 8 7 
			 1995 14 12  
			 1996 26 21 6 
			 1997 15 14 3 
			 1998 27 26 6 
			 1999 25 20 8 
			 2000 25 21 2 
			 2001 29 23 3 
			 2002 18 16 6 
			 2003 24 23 11 
			 2004 52 42 13 
			 2005 63 62 26 
			  Non-European Union
			 1991 15 9 5 
			 1992 16 9 7 
			 1993 17 9 8 
			 1994 19 9 7 
			 1995 15 11  
			 1996 20 16 12 
			 1997 23 15 11 
			 1998 28 24 20 
			 1999 41 27 23 
			 2000 53 37 21 
			 2001 64 56 20 
			 2002 59 55 24 
			 2003 66 52 22 
			 2004 73 59 37 
			 2005 64 57 24 
			  Notes: 1. The ONS definition of 'work related' includes those with a 'definite job' to go to, au pairs and 'business' reasons but excludes those looking for work, diplomats, military personnel, merchant seaman and flight crews. 'Looking for work' is included separately. 2. 'Looking for work' is not included in the ONS definition of 'work related' but is shown for information. Data are not available for 1995. These are recorded under 'Other reasons for visit' which is not shown in the table. 3. Italicised estimates are not statistically robust (defined as standard error  30%) but have been included for completeness. 4. Full details of country groupings are available in the Notes to tables section of International Migration Series MN no.32 (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=507) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2Work permit holders and dependants given leave to enter, excluding EEA and Swiss nationals, 1991-2006 
			   All nationalities ( 1,2,3,4) 
			  Year of admission  Total  Employment for 12 months or more  Employment for less than 12 months( 5)  Dependants of work permit holders 
			 1991 46,920 11,060 21,740 14,120 
			 1992 51,140 9,940 26,320 14,890 
			 1993 48,000 9,350 24,520 14,130 
			 1994 47,500 10,200 23,000 14,300 
			 1995 52,100 11,700 26,100 14,300 
			 1996 58,200 11,400 29,400 17,400 
			 1997 62,975 16,270 27,385 19,320 
			 1998 68,385 20,160 28,020 20,205 
			 1999 76,180 25,090 28,445 22,645 
			 2000(6) 92,050 36,290 30,785 24,970 
			 2001(6) 108,825 50,280 30,785 27,760 
			 2002 120,115 51,525 34,095 34,495 
			 2003 119,180 44,480 36,870 37,830 
			 2004 124,200 42,235 40,420 41,545 
			 2005 137,035 51,165 40,350 45,520 
			 2006 145,120 57,540 39,060 48,515 
			 (1 )Includes nationals of Austria, Finland and Sweden before 1 January 1994, but excludes them from this date. (2) Includes nationals of Liechtenstein before 1 May 1995, but excludes them from this date. (3 )Includes nationals of Switzerland before 1 June 2002, but excludes them from this date. (4 )Includes nationals of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia before 1 May 2004, but excludes them from this date. (5) Includes the majority of work permit trainees. (6 )A change in procedures may have resulted in some under-recording for the fourth quarter of 2000 and the first quarter of 2001. Data rounded to the nearest 5, as such the figures may not sum to the totals shown.  Source:  Home Office

General Practitioners: Conditions of Employment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1183W, on general practitioners: conditions of employment, what his Department's  (a) highest and  (b) lowest estimate was of the impact a new contract for general practitioners would have on (i) average salaries for general practitioners and (ii) annual additional costs to the public purse as part of the discussions prior to the 2002 Budget.

Andy Burnham: Government Departments make their assessment of the cost of pay contracts and these are scrutinised by HM Treasury. Estimates of the cost of the contract are available from the Department of Health.

Income Tax: Pensioners

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of  (a) all pensioners and  (b) pensioner households pay income tax.

Jane Kennedy: The information is as follows.
	 Individual pensioners 2007-08( 1)
	The following figures are the latest available estimates and are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes 2004-05 and projected forward to 2007-08 in line with Budget 2007 assumptions.
	(1 )State pension age; males aged 65 and over, females aged 60 and over.
	
		
			   Pensioners paying income tax 
			 Taxpaying pensioners(1 )( million) 5.6 
			 All pensioners(2 )( million) 11.7 
			 Taxpaying proportion (percentage) 48 
			 (1) Projection for the United Kingdom based on the 2004-05 Survey of Personal Incomes and thus subject to sampling and non-sampling error. (2) Average of Government Actuary's Departments mid-year pensioner populations projections for 2007 and 2008.  Note:  Figures have been rounded to the nearest 0.1 million. 
		
	
	 Pensioner households, 2005-06( 1)
	Projections of pensioner households are not available. The following figures provided are estimates based on the latest available Family Resources Survey (2005-06).
	(1 )Households in the United Kingdom with at least one person of state pension age; males aged 65 and over, females aged 60 and over.
	
		
			   Pensioner households paying income tax 
			 Taxpaying pensioner households(1) ( million) 4.8 
			 All pensioner households(2 )( million) 8.0 
			 Taxpaying proportion (percentage) 60 
			 (1 )Modelled liability to income tax based on the Family Resources Survey for the 2005-06 financial year, and subject to sampling and non-sampling error. (2 )All pensioner households from the Family Resources Survey.  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 0.1 million.

Lone Parents

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many lone parents there were in each local authority in each year for which figures are available, broken down by five year age band.

Andy Burnham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 12 September 2007:
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many lone parents there were in each local authority in each year for which figures are available, broken down by five year age band. (155349)
	Figures are provided for the 1991 and 2001 decennial censuses. As no published tables exist that provide the requested figures, the tables have been specially run and deposited in the House of Commons library.

Manufacturing Industries: Manpower

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were employed in the manufacturing industries in each local authority in each year for which figures are available, broken down by five year age band.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 12 September 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the numbers of people employed in manufacturing in local authority areas. (155348)
	Tables giving the information requested have been placed in the House of Commons Library. The figures in the tables are estimates from the Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey, for the twelve months ending in March of each year from 1996 to 2006.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Office of Government Commerce: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at the Office of Government Commerce in each year between 1997 and 2006; and what the total cost was of those bonuses.

Andy Burnham: 14 such bonuses were awarded in 2005-06 at a cost of 147,618. The figures for 2006-07 were 22 and 235,208, respectively.
	Information relating to earlier years is not available except at disproportionate cost.

Stamp Duties: South East Region

Michael Fallon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the level of stamp duty for first-time home-buyers in the south east; and what steps he is taking in response to such representations.

Andy Burnham: The Government regularly receive representations on various aspects of the stamp duty land tax system. All taxes are kept under review as part of the Budget process, and all such representations are noted as part of this process.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) women aged 60 to 64,  (b) women aged 65 and over and  (c) men aged 65 and over complete a self assessment tax return; and what proportion of each group has a gross income of (i) under 8,000, (ii) 8,000 to 15,000 and (iii) above 15,000.

Jane Kennedy: The latest figures available are based on a survey of personal incomes undertaken by HM Revenue and Customs on the 2004-05 tax year.
	
		
			   Women aged 60-64  Women aged 65 and over  Men aged 65 and over 
			 Number 234,000 445,000 815,000 
			 
			  Gross income (percentage)
			 Under 8,000 38 29 13 
			 8,000 to 15,000 23 26 22 
			 Above 15,000 39 45 65

Tobacco: Counterfeit Manufacturing

Colin Breed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2007,  Official Report, column 259W, on tobacco: counterfeit manufacturing, which tobacco companies already use the technology that is being introduced across the tobacco industry on their tobacco products, as of July 2007; and which tobacco companies will be introducing this as a new level of security on their tobacco products by October 2007 as part of the voluntary agreement;
	(2)  if he will publish the terms of the voluntary agreement made between HM Revenue and Customs and the tobacco industry in respect of introducing an anti-counterfeit solution to UK duty paid tobacco from October 2007.

Angela Eagle: Information about the companies currently using the anti-counterfeiting technology cannot be released as this could prejudice law enforcement efforts, and the commercial interests of manufacturers and would breach HM Revenue and Customs' duty of confidentiality towards those companies.
	The agreement reached with the tobacco industry is that all cigarette packs intended for the UK duty paid market manufactured from October 2007 will incorporate a covert security mark, and packs of hand-rolling tobacco manufactured from October 2008 at the latest, will also incorporate a covert security mark. The agreement includes providing HMRC with the specialist equipment needed to test the authenticity of cigarette and hand-rolling tobacco packs.
	For security reasons, the nature of the technology the industry have agreed to introduce will not be published.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many finalised tax credit awards for  (a) 2003-04 and  (b) 2004-05 were re-opened under the notification procedure set out in section 19 of the Tax Credit Act 2002.

Jane Kennedy: As enquiries under section 19 can only be opened once an award has been finalised, no inquiries were opened in 2003-04 which was the first year of tax credits.
	In 2004-05 around 54,000 inquiries were opened, relating to 2003-04 awards. In 2005-06 around 38,000 inquiries were opened, relating to both 2003-04 and 2004-05 awards.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written statement of the Financial Secretary of 25 July 2007,  Official Report, column 62WS, on tax credit administration, 
	(1)  how many tax credit cases were re-opened incorrectly in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05 and  (c) 2005-06;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of  (a) the amount to be repaid to claimants and  (b) the administrative cost to HM Revenue and Customs of remedying the errors described;
	(3)  when he was first aware of  (a) the administrative errors described in the written statement and  (b) the necessity of repaying amounts to claimants;
	(4)  when he expects the process of remedying the administrative error identified in the written statement to be completed.

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 25 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 62-63WS, on tax credit administration, when the administrative problem with tax credit awards was first identified; which ministers were informed about the problem; and when those ministers were informed.

Jane Kennedy: I was advised by HMRC officials in July that there was a potential issue on the finalisation of awards and that they were seeking legal advice.
	My July written statement identified that an estimated 160,000 2003-04 and 2004-05 cases were impacted by this issue. Separately HMRC estimated that they would need to write to 90,000 households about their 2005-06 awards.
	Since then HMRC have done further work to refine these estimates. Although the total number affected has not changed, HMRC now estimate that as a result of this issue around 100,000 cases in 2003-04, 75,000 cases in 2004-05 and 75,000 cases in 2005-06 will need to be reviewed.
	HMRC has started a planned programme of work to review the tax credit awards that may be affected. In all but a small minority of the cases HMRC will be able to correct the procedural error without any change to the payments already made. In an estimated 20,000 cases, HMRC will need to make a repayment. The cost of this is estimated to be 20 million. No family will see their award revised downwards as a result of these reviews.
	While any administrative error is deeply regrettable, and must be addressed, the fact remains that tax credits are helping six million families including 10 million children, and have helped to lift 600,000 children out of poverty.